Saving Souls
by Yizuki
Summary: "Take one bite of his soul, and not even god will find your corpse." "Sebastian is mine! I will kill you if you try!" When the one you love is beyond saving, what else can one do but fall themselves? "Very well, take mine too then." Ciellen, Seballen
1. Rising of the Curtain

SAVING SOULS

Chapter 1: Introduction

Allen stared fearfully up at the mansion in front of him, a small whine of fear escaping from his lips as he stared up at the large, three story building.

_How'd I get myself into this?_ He thought despondently, a sweatdrop forming on his forehead as he recalled how he had gotten roped in to the most recent scheme by his master.

_**General Marian Cross sat stoically in a leather winged chair, staring down at his young apprentice through his thick bangs. A glass of chilled red wine was swirled lazily as he let young Allen sweat and anxiously await his next assignment. **_

"_**Allen," General Cross said quietly. The young twelve year old jumped and began sweating as he realized he'd been taken by surprise.**_

"_**Y-Yes Master?" he asked nervously, fidgeting under the Generals hidden gaze.**_

"_**I have a task I need you to accomplish," he said, taking a small sip of his wine. "There's an old friend of mine who lives just outside of London. He's given me a lot of help these past few years. However, nothing is free. He's recently been urging me to send someone to help with a string of murders and kidnappings. I want you to head over and deliver this letter to him," he held out a thick, yellow envelope with a wax seal stamped on the back with the generals emblem. Allen gulped but nodded, relieved that his task was something as easy as delivering a letter this time. He reached out for the letter and safely tucked it into his shirt, before heading off to find the next train to London.**_

Allen gulped as the cart he had hitched a ride on stopped in front of the enormous, solid oak doors that made up the front entrance. Thanking the man and giving him a small percentage of the meager pocket change his master had sent him off with. The man grumbled at the small amount, but pocketed it all the same. With the cart driver gone, Allen nervously faced the gates and worked up his courage to knock. Before his hand even touched the wood, the door was opened smoothly, and Allen gaped at the old man who stood there. He was tall, but not taller than his master; and he was dressed in an odd black suit with a gold pocket watch. The old man stared down at Allen, making him squirm. It wasn't as if the butlers gaze was malicious, but it was incredibly intense.

"May I ask what a young boy like yourself is doing all the way out here in the country?" Allen cleared his throat nervously.

"Um...My name's Allen Walker; and I was sent by General Cross Marian to give the Earl Phantomhive this." he said, holding out the yellowed envelope. The elderly butler glanced at the envelope.

"It would be best for you to hold on to that for now Mr. Walker. I will escort the Earl to you immediately. Please, come in." Allen sighed in relief and followed the Butler into the expansive mansion. "I am Tanaka, the head butler for the Phantomhive manor. On behalf of all the servants, I bid you welcome," he said, giving a slight bow. Allen blushed.

"No, no, please! You don't need to go to such lengths for me! Just tell me what to do, I'm in need of a job anyway!" _To pay off Masters horrendous debts_, he thought with a nervous smile. Tanaka came back up.

"Be that as it may, for now you are a guest of the Phantomhive family, and shall be treated as such," he led the way into a medium sized parlor, heated by a cheery fire that added to the warm, earthy tones the room was done in. Allen took a seat on the couch in front of the fire, taking off his mitt and glove and putting his hands over the fire, sighing as the warmth crept into the very bones of his hands. The sound of boots on the hardwood floors alerted Allen to the return of Tanaka, and Allen hastily scrabbled for his mitt to cover his hand, not wanting the servants to be repulsed by the deformed limb. Unfortunately he had been careless and tossed it halfway across the room. By the time he got it, the door was already opening. Hurriedly he stuffed the mitt under him and tucked his hand into his pocket, squishing up against the side of the couch so it wouldn't seem so suspicious. Tanaka held open the door and a man younger than his master stepped into the room. His slate colored black hair seemed almost blue in the light of the fire, setting up a stark contrast to his warm brown eyes. His regal bearing and unconscious authority had Allen straightening in his seat. Phantomhive frowned briefly in puzzlement, before giving a heartwarming smile to the young boy, the same he would give his own child. Instinctively, Allen felt a similar smile creep its way across his face.

"Hello there, I am the Earl Vincent Phantomhive," Allen beamed up at this nice, gentle man.

"I'm Allen Walker, apprentice to General Marian Cross," he stated proudly. Vincent's expression went somber. So, that's what he was here for. He put a smile back on his face.

"Is that so? Well then hello to you Mr. Walker," he said, reaching across and shaking the young boys hand. "I'm Vincent Phantomhive." Allen giggled.

"You already said that Mr. Phantomive!" Vincent smiled merrily and laughed.

"So I did," he said, taking a set in the opposing chair and leaning against the back rest. "So, young Mr. Walker, I believe you have something for me?" Eyes widening in understanding, the boy began searching his pockets for the letter, only to realize- with a jolt- that the letter was in his left coat pocket, and he would have to show them his arm. Seeing the apprehensive look on the boys face, he leaned forward. "What's wrong? Did you lose it?" he asked, frowning as he thought of the irresponsibility if he had. Allen hesitantly shook his head. "Then may I have it?" he requested, holding out his hand.

"NO!" Allen cried, cringing into the couch and clutching his arm. Vincent frowned and began staring firmly down at the boy.

"Allen, if that's a letter from your master to me then I need to have it. Are you disobeying your mentor?" Allen flinched at the harsh tone of his words but shook his head, shaking and not making eye contact with the Earl.

"I-I don't want you to see..." he mumbled. Vincent's gaze became stormy.

"See what? The letter?" The boy shook his head. "What don't you want me to see?" Hh asked, gently reaching out for the boys left arm.

"NO!" Allen cried, curling further into the couch and trying desperately to hide his arm. The Earl leaned back into his chair. So, he had been right, there was something about that arm that the boy didn't want anyone to know about.

"It's okay Allen, I won't hate you, I just want to look," Allen flinched away from his touch.

"Yes you will. Everyone does, if they see it, they run away, or chase me off. The only ones who have accepted me are Master and..." _Mana..._ Allen bit his lip and let the tears fall down his cheeks. Allen jumped when a gentle hand rested on top of his head, gently brushing his white bangs back and exposing the pentacle on his brow. He looked up to see compassionate amber eyes gazing gently down into his own. "I promise, no matter what, I won't be disgusted." Allen stared into his eyes a few moments more, then hesitatingly took his hand out of his pocket.

He couldn't help it. He stared. When Allen had refused to show his arm he had thought it might have been a scar, some sort of disfigurement that the boy was ashamed of, but nothing could have prepared him for this.

Red wrinkled skin, the color of old blood covered the entirety of the boys left arm. The skin felt dry and papery in his hand, feeling every bump and ridge of the arm under his thumb. He repressed the urge to shudder as he gazed at the black, talon-like nails and looked into the boys eyes, feeling all horror and disgust melt away. Allen's eyes were filled with tears and fear, fear that despite his promise he would become repulsed and send him away. Beaming down at the boy Vincent stroked the back of his hand with his thumb, noticing how soft the skin was, like velvet or old, well worn parchment.

"How long has it been like this?" he asked.

"Since I was born I think," Allen shrugged. "My parents abandoned me because of this arm. I was raised as part of a circus until Ma..." _Mana..._ Allen wiped his eyes. "Until Master found me and told me what my arm was," He said. Vincent frowned. Throwing out a child simply because he as deformed? It was unthinkable.

"Thank you for sharing that with me Allen," he said, taking his seat back in his chair. "Now don't you have something to give me?" He queried playfully. Allen gave him a watery smile, before reaching into his left coat pocket and pulling out a thick yellow envelope with General Cross's emblem stamped in wax on the front. Vincent took it solemnly and opened the letter, unfolding a large sheaf of papers. He frowned and began reading the note written by Cross himself first.

_Dear Vincent Phantomhive,_

_Based on the photographic evidence and dust samples you've sent us, the culprit behind the attacks is definitively an Akuma, most likely a level one. However, what worries me the most is the fact that the sites of these attacks coincide with the recent kidnapping victims. The Millennium Earl doesn't take hostages, it's not in his nature. Someone must have broken their connection with the Millennium Earl and is using them to help get their targets. This doesn't bode well. What worries me even more is the fact that whoever broke that connection, however weak it is at level one, would have to be extremely powerful and clever, and if they're smart enough, they will figure out you're looking for them and deal with you personally._

_With that in mind I have sent my young apprentice, Allen Walker along with this letter to help you in your endeavors. I know he may not look like much, but his left arm is a very powerful Anti-Akuma weapon and his eye has the ability to spot Akuma, even when they're disguised. Don't worry, I've trained him well and he's a very bright boy, despite some outward appearances. He shouldn't give you any trouble._

_Signed,_

_General Marian Cross_

_P.S: Tell your wife I said "Hi"_

_P.P.S: Due to his weapon being a part of his body, Allen's body needs extra nutrition, so don't be surprised if he eats half a banquet all by himself._

Sighing, Vincent Phantomhive pinched the bridge of his nose. Of all the...He knew Marian Cross was a good for nothing, womanizing lay-about; but sending a him a twelve year old? How much lower could the man possibly sink? _I sincerely hope the _good_ general has not been making the boy pay off all his debts like this._ Resignedly, Vincent Phantomhive turned to Allen.

"It seems your master has employed you to work off a personal favor owed to me and wants you to stay here until this particular case is done," Allen froze, all color draining from him with a horrified incredulous look on his face. Vincent could almost hear the breaking glass as the young man processed what he had just said. "However, due to your youth I am reducing your work to acting as a bodyguard and playmate for my son Ciel, and his fiancé Elizabeth when she is here at the estate. If I require any further assistance I will call on you," he leaned down and put a hand on the stunned boys shoulder. "And just to spite the old codger you call a master, how about I throw in a private salary so you don't always have to bend to the old fool whims eh?" Allen stared, stunned at him, before an evil grin broke out on his face.

Vincent smirked.


	2. Bodyguard? No way!

Hiya there peoples! I know I didn't talk much-okay at all- during the first chapter, but it was so fresh in my head I had to get it onto paper...er...whatever, as soon as possible.

So, this story is based on the premise that Allen Walker and Ciel Phantomhive met as children before the terrible murder that allienated all of Ciel's family and, years later, they run into each other again! How will things work out this time around with Allen thrown into the mix? Will Sebastian really get Ciel's soul? Or will Allen stop him in time? As I stated in the summary, there will be some slash: both CielxAllen and SebastianxAllen.

Hope you enjoy! ^^!

Chapter 2: Bodyguard? No way!

"As a servant of the Phantomhive manor, there are a certain set of ground rules that you must follow," Tanaka said briskly, leading Allen down the hall to the servants quarters. He chanced a look back at Allen and his lips twitched into a small sarcastic smile. "Though I doubt many of them need to be expressed to a boy as young as yourself, I must make a few things clear," reaching a seemingly random door, Tanaka opened it into a medium sized room occupied by two beds, one of which was unmade. The Head Butler sighed and shook his head, then turned to face Allen. "This will be your room which you will share with two of our younger servants. First of all, you are to make sure your bedroom is presentable every morning before you prepare for your duties. Secondly, all duties are to be performed in a quick, efficient, and timely manner, we do not tolerate slackers here at the Phantomhive manor. Thirdly, if I catch a whiff of any contraband items on your person or within your room, you will be expelled immediately. The Earl expects all his servants to behave in a manner befitting the nobility themselves. Are you keeping up?" Allen nodded. "Good. Lastly, and I doubt I need to say this, but women are not allowed into the men's dormitories, and vice versa. If I catch you alone with a woman in your room, there will be consequences," Allen gulped at the stern look on Tanaka's face and quickly nodded his head to show he understood. He didn't understand why having a girl in your room would be so bad though. Nevertheless he silently took the lesson to heart. Tanaka smiled.

"Good. Now, on to your specific duties as..." Tanaka was stopped in mid-sentence as a scream echoed through the house and he was bowled over, two boys younger than himself racing into the room, one holding some sort of creature in his hands while the other tried to find a safe place to hide their discovery.

"Come on, come on, come on! Hurry up! If Tanaka sees then we'll never hear the end of it," The taller one said, excitedly holding the thing in his hands as the younger boy frantically opened drawers in order to find the perfect hiding spot. His bright red hair quivered in excitement under his green bandana, the only spot of color in his servant attire.

"Oh? And why would I do that?" Both boys froze, beads of sweat erupting all over their bodies as they realized they'd been caught. The older one swiftly turned around, busily hiding the creature behind his back and smiling anxiously, vivid green eyes glinting with aprehension.

"Eh he...No reason!" the boy said, backing away towards the door. "If you'll just excuse me I have...chores to do and..okaybye!" the boy made a mad dash for the door, only to be caught by swift, gloved hand. Tanaka sighed as the boy squirmed and begged to be freed.

"Really Lavi, must you do this every time?" The boy, now known as Lavi, grinned cheekily at Tanaka, even though a large sweat drop had accumulated on his temple.

"Hey, hey! At least I haven't done anything yet old man! It's not like I-AH!" Lavi groaned as he tried to recover from being sent through the wall.

"Please refrain from using such disrespectful words, it is unbecoming of a Phantomhive servant, or do you not remember what happened last time?" Tanaka asked calmly, serenely brushing the dust off his gloves. Surprised and slightly terrified, Allen and the remaining boy anxiously backed up into the same corner in an effort to avoid the deadly butlers' skill. Both squealed in fright when the head butler turned to them. "Master Ciel, how many times have I told you not to go outside without a coat on?" Allen turned in surprise to gaze at the boy beside him-the boy he was going to be guarding-Ciel Phantomhive.

He was a great deal like his father-concluded Allen. Same blue-slate hair and heart shaped face; but the cheekbones were finer, more delicate, and the cute button of a nose must have come from his mother. It was the eyes though, that truly took his breath away. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Ciels' eyes were a glowing azure blue, like a clear morning sky in spring. Allen found himself blushing as he took in the small, delicate boy who seemed to simply radiate a sense of joy and excitement.

"But Tanaka!" Ciel whined. "Lavi were gonna play 'The Princess and the Pea' with Lizzie," Tanaka's eyebrow crept up his hairline.

"I see, and since when did the princess and the pea have frogs in it?" Ciel blushed and scuffed his shoe on the floor. Tanaka sighed.

"Come, let's get Lavi and have you both apologize to Ms. Elizabeth,"

"She was trying to make me put on one of her dresses! I don't care if I'll look cute! I won't do it!" Tanaka looked behind at Allen.

"You should probably come too, as you'll be watching Master Ciel and Ms. Elizabeth from now on," Allen nodded and fell into step behind Tanaka, quietly taking in the form of Ciel Phantomhive. He was very feminine for a boy, with narrow, sloping shoulders and ambiguous hips. Of course, his body was at an age where it was hard to tell boy from girl, as most girls hadn't begun to develop yet, and the boys were still in their child-like phase. Still, it wasn't hard to see that Ciel Phantomhive would grow to be a heartrendingly beautiful man. Allen gaped as he was led into the upper levels of the house, gazing in wonder at the ornate walls and expensive decor. Tanaka led them into a private study where the Earl sat, engrossed in paperwork for the daily running's of the mansion. He glanced up and set aside his paperwork, giving Ciel a firm stare.

"Ciel..." Phantomhive began.

"It was her fault for making me put on a dress!" Ciel pouted, pointing accusingly at the girl sitting in the corner. Allen felt pity well up as he saw the pathetic shape she was in. Her blonde hair was tangled and messy, the light make-up she wore was smeared from all her crying; and what must have been a perfectly respectable dress was now a disheveled mess around her.

"That's not an excuse Ciel. You've upset Lady Elizabeth far more than she ever upset you. You've hurt her feelings by behaving so irresponsibly. What would you do if I punished you for messing up my paperwork by playing with my paperweights?" The flush on Ciels' cheeks told Allen that this had happened before. "Do you see? Now apologize to Lady Elizabeth," The Earl said firmly. Ciels' chin set in a stubborn frown. "Do I have to call Aunt Middleford and tell her how you've been treating her daughter?" A frantic head wildly shook its negative and Ciel turned to the Lady Elizabeth.

"Lizzie?...I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just don't like dresses. It's embarrassing to be seen in something that just looks so much cuter on you and..." As if realizing what he had said, Ciels' cheeks flushed and he hurriedly tried to scurry off, only for a small hand to catch the back of his shirt and grip it tightly.

"Really? Do you really mean that?" Lady Elizabeth asked in a tiny voice. Ciel gulped, but nervously nodded his head. "OH CIEL!" the girl squealed, wrapping her arms around the boy and spinning around on the spot gleefully.

"Lizzie!" he cried, his restricted breathing being further hindered by Lizzie's tight embrace and bringing on the feeling of another attack. All of a sudden the rib-cracking pressure was gone. Ciel blinked, then looked to his savior.

Angel, that's what he first thought when he saw Allen. With his snowy white hair and silvery grey eyes, he was like the winter landscape brought to life. Ciel stared at him, he wasn't much taller than him actually, even though he looked a year or two older*. That was a bit of a comfort. Ciel cautiously reached out a hand, wanting to touch his pale skin and see if it was as cold as the snow it resembled outside. Ciels' father looked at the snow angel and smiled. He held Lizzie effortlessly in one, gloved hand, keeping her from pouncing back on top of him.

"Ah Allen, so nice of you to join us. Is your room satisfactory?" The Angel-now dubbed Allen-nervously scratched the back of his head, setting Elizabeth back down on the ground, whom immediately began nuzzling Ciels' shoulder.

"Yes sir. I look forward to working for your household," he replied. Phantomhive nodded in reply, turning to his son.

"Ciel, this is Allen Walker, apprentice to General Marian Cross of the Black Order. He's here to help me solve a case for the queen, and as of now, he is your personal bodyguard." Ciel's eyes widened.

"But father! Why would I need a bodyguard? I can protect myself!" Vincent Phantomhive ignored his sons outburst, straightening a set of papers and setting them aside.

"Many children your age have bodyguards to protect them from kidnappers and such. It's not that unusual.

"Lizzie doesn't have one!" Ciel whined, pointing at his bride to be. Earl Phantomhive's lips quirked into a small, wry smile.

"Lady Elizabeth is a prodigy of fencing and can deal with any trouble by herself. Now enough whining! Allen will be acting as your bodyguard until this case is complete," Phantomhive said, staring down at his son and making it clear this conversation was over. Ciel pouted and tailed Tanaka out of the room back to his bedroom.

"I've been studying the sword too." Ciel mumbled sulkily as he sulked out the door. Allen had to hide his snickers behind his hand. Really, this little boy was too amusing, wanting to be so big and tough when really he was probably one of the most adorable things he had ever set eyes on. Once Ciel, Elizabeth, and Tanaka had left the room, Vincent Phantomhive turned his full attention onto Allen.

"Now, on to the finer points of your employment..."

.

**!**

**.**

"It's not fair!" Ciel said, kicking his toy train across the room." Why do I have to have a bodyguard? None of my other friends do! Why me?" Lavi winced as another toy banged against the wall.

"Don't worry Ciel, it won't be so bad-"

"Yes it will!" Ciel screeched, turning angrily on Lavi. "He'll probably make me stay inside all day! Or-or follow me everywhere I go, even in the bathroom!" he whimpered. "Or maybe he'll be an ex-military general who'll slave drive me through a grueling training regiment so I can 'protect myself'!" He shuddered. "I would have to fight bears with only my hands with no training! I'll get mauled!" Lavi hugged him tightly.

"Don't worry Ciel! I'll save you!" Lavi cried, totally swept up in the negative viewpoint of Allen and swearing to protect Ciel even if it meant fighting off the old fart that was Ciel's bodyguard. Upstairs with the Earl Phantomhive, Allen had to repress a shudder of foreboding.

.

**!**

**.**

"Okay. Operation: Freak out Stake out is in effect," Ciel whispered into the tin can he was holding, connected by a string to the place Lavi was hiding up in the rafters. Ciel peeked from his hiding place behind a corner, watching warily as Allen searched for the little master.

"Roger that. Commencing freak out in 5...4...3...2...1!" Ciel rushed from behind his hiding place and tossed a bowl of spaghetti on him while Lavi dumped a bucket of frogs they had caught on him from above. Laughing, Ciel and Lavi dashed off to go play outside, rudely bumping into Allen as they made their escape. Allen sighed, picking spaghetti off his uniform and looking forlornly down at the frogs he would have to catch. He had been at the manor for a month now, and Ciel's opinion of him still hadn't changed. If anything, it had gotten worse. He was subjected to daily pranks, fits of temper, and disobedience when it came to Allen's rules to stay out of trouble. Allen wanted to be friends with Ciel, he really did, but the boy seemed adamant about hating his bodyguard. He glared resignedly down at his left arm. "I hope you know that this is your entire fault," he said simply. His arm, being what it was, couldn't answer. Allen sighed and reluctantly began cleaning up.

"Did you see his face? Totally surprised," Lavi snickered, head touching his knees in the small place they called their hideout.

Well, not that you could really call it a hideout, more like a hiding spot. He and Lavi had discovered a hidden storage space under the servants stairs that was just big enough to hold two children. The ceiling was low and space was limited, but it was their spot and no one had ever found them when they hid in here. Ciel giggled with him.

"I don't see how father could ever have imagined that he would be able to protect me. He looks like one puff of wind would knock him over!"

"You wouldn't think that if you saw how he eats, he packs more down in a single meal than all the servants do in a day!"

"What a slob!"

"Master Ciel!" A faint voice called down the hall. "Master Ciel! Ciel! Come on, your father wants to speak with you!" Ciel rolled his eyes.

"Well, looks like sir pig-a lot has come to kidnap me," The boys snickered, before bumping fists and exiting their hiding place.

"Ah," The two boys jumped at the sudden voice behind them. "There you two are. Master Ciel, your father wants to meet you in the green drawing room. Please, come with me," Allen said, bowing to Ciel before turning and heading up the stairs. Lavi and Ciel turned to the other in shock. Their cupboard wasn't sound-proof right? They had heard Allen's voice over halfway down the hall.

So how did he get there so fast?

.

**!**

**.**

Allen sighed as he watched the Phantomhive family enjoy a day outdoors. Winter was setting in with a vengeance, but today it was pleasant, even warm, and the entire household was taking advantage of the nice weather.

"CIELLL!" Allen snickered as Lady Elizabeth chased the young Phantomhive heir around the yard, a frilly white dress clutched tightly in her hands.

"I don't wanna! Put it on Allen it'll be much cuter on him." Allen froze, feeling his world crack and a shiver of trepidation go up his spine. Apprehensively he watched as Lady Elizabeth raked her eyes up and down his form, before her face broke into a wicked smile. He nervously sent a smile back, before bolting across the lawn.

"Come back Allen! It'll be so cute on you!"

"I don't wanna!" Ciel giggled as he watched Allen be chased around the yard; served him right for laughing at his predicament. Noticing that the two were headed her way, he stuck out his foot casually, causing Allen to trip and sprawl headfirst into the grass. In a flash Lizzie was on top of Allen and had shoved the dress over his head. Leaning back to examine her work, Lizzie clapped her hands and squealed in delight.

"Oh I was right! That looks so cute on you Allen!" Allen flushed as he tugged uncomfortably at the hem of the dress. The dress was a beautiful thing, made soft pleated white cotton with ice blue ribbons and covered his frilly white lace. Lizzie gushed over how cute Allen looked, until she caught sight of Allen's mitt. Angrily she snatched up Allen's hand. "What's this?" She demanded, shaking his hand in front of his face. Allen sweated nervously.

"It's my glove. I use it to keep my hand warm-" Allen began.

"It's not cute at all! Take it off!" Lizzie said, stomping her foot to emphasize her command.

"NO!" Allen shouted, snatching his hand back and cradling it against his chest.

"Take it off!" Lizzie said, reaching for his hand and pulling on the glove.

"No! You'll see!" Allen protested, yanking his hand back.

"See? See what-?" Lizzie trailed off in mid-sentence as the glove came off and revealed what was underneath. Dry and shriveled like a corpse, Allen's hand looked stiff and painful, shriveled skin clinging tightly to the joints in his hands. Ciel's eyes stared in horror at the dark scarlet hue-like dried blood-of his skin and the sharp, claw-like nails.

The fingers twitched and the spell was broken. Lizzie screamed, horrified by the disfigurement of Allen's arm. Ciel began slowly backing away from his demonic bodyguard. Because that's what he had to be right? A demon, unlike the angel he had really thought. Allen reached out for Ciel, eyes pleading with him to understand.

"Ciel? Ciel please I-"

"No, stay away! Stay away from me you-you monster!" and with that he rushed off into the woods nearby. How could he have let this happen? That demon had wormed it's way into their family, it would slaughter them all! Ciel covered his mouth, feeling the beginnings of an asthma attack come on. _No, not out here. Not with that thing so close by!_ He forced his breath to come out evenly and slowed his pace, glancing anxiously behind him.

"Ciel!" A faint voice called. "Ciel come back!" Ciel shook in fear and pressed on, only to run into something large, warm, and furry.

"Ciel!" The voice called again. Ciel paid it no mind and cautiously looked up.

There, standing in front of him, was a huge black bear over three times his size, gazing down at him with one lip curled.

Panicking, Ciel jumped back and scrambled away, screaming when the bear roared and began to charge.

"**CIEL!" **Ciel looked up just in time to see Allen Walker leap over him and go straight for the bear, his disfigured arm now covered in shining silver metal and twice its normal size, eerie green glowing energy-like fire-burned at his shoulder and the back of his hand. With one mighty blow, Allen sent the bear flying where it smacked into a tree. "Ciel!" Allen called desperately. "Master are you all right?" Ciel swallowed, trying to wet his dry throat and fighting off his asthma.

"Fine..." he croaked. "I-I'm fine," he managed to say, darkness filling in at the edges of his vision. Allen smiled.

"Good. Then just stay there, I'll protect you," the last thing Ciel saw, was Allen's back to him as he faced off the charging bear.

.

**!**

**.**

"_**...iel...Ciel...ake up...wake up...Ciel..."**_

"_**Honey are you okay?"**__ Mom...Dad?_

"_**His body passed out due to stress, he should be fine soon." **__What...Why would I be stressed..._

_The bear_

"Allen!" Ciel cried as shot straight up out of bed.

"Ciel!"

"Master Ciel, please lay back down you're not strong enough too-"

"Where's Allen?" Ciel demanded, glaring at the people in his room. His mother and father looked sad and the servants all looked down.

"Allen's fine sweetie, he spent a lot of energy protecting you from that bear. He's resting right now to regain his strength, just like you," His mother explained, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. Ciel shrugged it off.

"I want to see him," he said, sitting as straight and regally as his father when he wanted something.

"That wouldn't be a good idea." The doctor, an old fellow with graying hair and a thick salt and pepper mustache protested. "With your asthma the way it is, it would be better for you to rest in bed at least one more day before you start-" The doctor trailed off, shivering at the command in those eyes.

"I want to see him. Take me to Allen Walker," it was said simply, but with such finality that no one even thought of disobeying. Shooing the rest of the worried household out of the room, Ciel's personal servants helped him get out of bed and shrug on his dressing gown. Vincent Phantomhive gained a secretive smile on his face. While his son was still young and in many ways unprepared for the role as the Queen's Guard dog, there were times-few and far between-when his inner noble would show up, and the Earl was assured that when he did pass on, the company would be in good hands. Once he was suitably dressed, Ciel began purposefully walking out the door towards Allen's room. The Earl Phantomhive got up and began quietly following him. Ciel's mother anxiously got up.

"Dear, are you sure this is wise? With his delicate health, Ciel could hurt himself!" Ciel's father smirked.

"No, even if we locked him in his room he'd still find a way to get to Allen; most likely through the window. It's better that we let him go now so that we can keep an eye on him, then leave him to his own devices," He smiled to his wife. "Besides, he was very impressive just now. Already he's growing to become a fine Earl of the Phantomhives," Ciel's mother anxiously watched her sons back and bit her lip. "I suppose so." A small smile worked its way across her face.

Ciel didn't pay any attention to the conversation his parents were having behind his back, his only goal right now was to get to Allen and apologize. _I called him a monster and he still ran to save me._ Even as naïve as he was, he knew not just anybody would do that. _But what was that strange arm?_ The more he thought about it, the less it made sense. There was no way Allen could put on armor that fast, and people's arms didn't just grow to twice their normal size either. _Maybe he's a superhero, _he thought. That thought just made him feel worse. He gets the privilege of meeting a bonafide superhero, and insults him. He stopped for a moment when he reaches Allen's door. _He probably hates me now._ He squeezed the handle. _But I still have to make it right!_ With that Ciel opened the door and stepped into the room.

It was homey, Ciel noticed. The walls were decorated with various circus posters. A deck of cards sat on the dresser, along with a set of multi-colored balls that clowns used for juggling. Being able to get a closer look at them, Ciel noticed that they had small ridges that ran around the circumference of the ball to help the juggler grip them easier. Ciel picked one up curiously. They were also light, far lighter than he expected them to be. He tossed one experimentally into the air and caught it with ease.

"It's to make them easier to catch," Allen said. Ciel jumped, dropping the ball and knocking his other knick knacks and possessions off the top of the dresser.

"Allen!" he shouted in surprise. "Are you all right?" Allen smiled.

"Eh, I've had worse," he stated. Ciel shuddered at the implications of that as he took in Allen's injuries. His entire torso was covered in white gauze, spots of red showing through where the blood had soaked through the bandages. His arm, now regular sized again, was back to that same unearthly shade of red. Ciel averted his eyes to his hands, twiddling his thumbs and shifting nervously from foot to foot.

"I-I'm sorry Allen," Ciel said, gazing forlornly down at the bedspread. Allen chuckled.

"For getting attacked by a bear? Ciel no one can control that don't be blaming-"

"No. I-I mean...I'm sorry I ran away...called you a monster..." Ciel mumbled, looking off to the side. Allen gazed at him and was silent for a long moment, before he smiled sadly.

"Don't worry about it Ciel, it's not the first time someone's reacted that way," Allen laughed. "And it definitively wasn't the worst reaction I've faced either! You learn to deal with it after a while so don't wor-"

"That doesn't make it right!" Ciel shouted. "Are you saying I should be reassured that I react like everyone else? I'm a Phantomhive! Part of the nobility! It's my job to set an example for those under me. If I react the way I did, I'm saying it's right for people to shun you, and it's not," tears began falling down his face. "You deserve better than that. Everyone does," Allen stared at him for a moment, utterly shocked by his speech, before smiling.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot all those weeks ago," Allen said, holding out his red hand. "I'm Allen Walker, It's a pleasure to meet you," Ciel stared at him for a moment, before smiling and taking his hand, feeling how soft and frail the papery red skin felt under his palm, like lambskin parchment.

"I'm Ciel Phantomhive. I hope we become really good friends."

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End.

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Whew! You would not believe how hard this chapter was to write! Writing Vincent Phantomhive is especially hard since you never really learned what he was like. I hope I didn't make him to stiff and repetitive.

Now, I have a request. I don't own any of the Kuroshitsuji Manga (which I'm basing this on), but I have found some online scans. Unfortunately they've only posted up to chapter 58, when Ciel is on the boat headed for America and they're attacked by zombies. The last thing I read was Ciel handing Lizzie over to her older brother on the top deck as the boat slowly sank because of ramming into the iceberg. Oh, and Grell had just caught the doctor who brought all those people back to life as he tried to make his way up the stairs.

So here's my request. A little help? I need someone to tell me what happens next, tell me where I can buy the books I haven't read, anything! I don't like being behind like this!

Thank you for reading Saving Souls we hope you enjoy the rest of your tour of "". Good-bye!

*just for reference, Allen _is_ actually only 12 years old in this part of the story, rather than the 15 and 16 he is in the manga and anime.


	3. To be made Unnecessary

Hey there. I know it's been a couple of days since I posted. But I went up to my Aunts house for her 50th birthday, and then I lost three quarters of the work I had written. _Then_ I started a new job on Wednesday. This is my first job ever too. Needless to say I'm rather frustrated and busy right now. I'm hoping to get this chapter written quickly so that I can move on to the actual storyline. Right now I'm just setting up the events that led to Ciel and Allen meeting and being separated. I hope to get to the actual plot in another two chapters. Anyway, despite that I am aware that these updates are going up faster than normal. I wrote out the outline beforehand, so it's much easier to keep everything flowing. Listen, before anybody objects, I know Ciel is severely OOC, but remember, this is before the fire and his imprisonment, so I wanted to make him more child-like. Even though he suffers asthma, by this time he's probably on the way to recovery (since Sebastian doesn't know about it until Noah's Ark Circus) and is doing normal activities. So I tried to give him a typical ten year old personality, including liking mud and slimy things and thinking girls are a plague to be avoided (though we all know that Ciel has a soft spot for Lady Elizabeth). I also wanted to give him some of his post-contract characteristics so that it seemed as if he didn't change completely. Certain aspects of his personality-such as mischievousness and retribution-simply took the forefront. Tell me if I get too out of character okay?

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Chapter 3: To be made Unnecessary

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**SPLASH!**

"Allen!" A set of footsteps came thundering down the stairs. A servant dusting a table in the hallway below looked up with mild interest, only to nearly be bowled over by a white blur that ran off cackling down the hallway. Three seconds later a disheveled-and decidedly wet-Ciel came stomping down after him. "Come back here you wretch!" He shouted, shaking his fist at the white hairs back.

"Consider it payback for the Freak Out Stake Out!" Allen called teasingly over his shoulder. Ciel growled, angrily shoving wet bangs out of his eyes. It had been another month since the bear attack and Ciel found Allen to be a surprisingly good companion. His humble personality and compassionate nature had the entire mansion in love with him within the first month; and now that Ciel had accepted him, they treated Allen as a member of the family. Rachel Phantomhive, his mother, buying him nice clothes and his father sneaking him dango, a new sweet from the East made from sweetened rice dough. Allen had taken a great liking to them, and would even try to save some to eat the next day until he got his next treat. He and Lavi found it very confusing as usually Allen couldn't control his appetite at all. Sighing, Ciel turned around to head back upstairs and get ready for the day ahead, when his eyes caught the date and widened to the size of dinner plates.

"_BOCCHAAAN!_" Lavi called gleefully rounding the corner. "Where are you little master? It's time for your-oh wow! Allen got you too then? I guess you won't be needing that bath now!" Lavi laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess we could've done without the frogs. Hey, Bocchan? Bocchan? CIEL!" The young Phantomhive jumped out of his skin and bolted around the corner, hiding behind the banister. "Yo dude, what's up? You look like you've seen a ghost," Ciel just trembled and tried to melt into the wall. A quiet whimper made its way out of his throat. "You're gonna have to speak up. I can't hear y-woah!" Lavi grunted as he suddenly found himself with an armful of Ciel, frantic and trembling.

"I said HIDE ME! I don't care where I don't care how just DO IT! I don't wanna see her!" Lavi winced as his ear rang with the sheer volume of the Phantomhives cry.

"Calm down Ciel, it can't be that bad. Come on, the bath is waiting, we need to get you ready-," Ciel just clutched at him tighter.

"You don't get it...she's terrifying. She'll eat me, I know she will! Aunt Frances is-"

"Aunt? You're getting this worked up over your Aunt? Ciel she's family! I doubt she'll ever hurt you," the boy just clung to him tighter.

"You haven't met her. She's not someone you should ever underestimate."

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**!IWASHALFWAYDONE!**

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Allen raced into the main foyer and finally slowed down, bending over and resting his hands on his knees. Panting heavily Allen glanced over his shoulder to see if Ciel had followed him. He hadn't. However, that didn't make Allen lower his guard anymore. Sweet and caring Ciel may be, but that didn't mean that his retribution wasn't something to be feared. Last time he had pulled a stunt like this Ciel had managed to trick him into throwing a pack of firecrackers into the kitchen ovens (He still didn't see how he had managed to get tricked into that one.) Needless to say he was the one who ended cleaning up the resulting mess. The smell of soot and grease had lingered on him for a month. Hearing the doorbell ring, Allen stood up and watched as a servant came out of the kitchen and opened the door. A family of three stepped inside the house. One was very obviously Lizzie, as evidenced by her blonde hair and frilly dress. The second was a tall, imposing man who looked as if he would skin anyone who told a joke in his presence. The man gave him a hard glare, making Allen gulp and begin to nervously back away. All of a sudden the man's face cleared and he gained a goofy smile on his face and began rubbing his bristly cheek against Allen's.

"Oh my! Look at how cute you are! Where did my brother-in-law find a little gem like you?" Allen was very unnerved. No one who looked that severe should ever act like this.

But wait...If Lizzie got her cute obsession from her father, then what about her mother? Allen looked up from between Lizzie's fathers arms to get a glimpse of the final member of the family, only to gulp as the stern, unwavering gaze locked in on his eyes. Lizzie certainly got her looks from her mother. The same blonde hair, same emerald green eyes, same pale complexion, even the same oval-shaped face, though Lizzie's was far rounder due to her youth. However, that was where the similarities ended. Allen could hardly imagine this woman's face ever cracking a smile, let alone have such an open face as Lady Elizabeth did.

"Ehm...Welcome to the Phantomhive manor. We've been expecting your arrival. The Earl awaits you in the green study. If you'd just follow me I'll lead you...there..." Allen slowly trailed off as the lady simply kept on staring at him. "Erm...Is there something on my face?" Allen said nervously, feeling to see if he could find any dirt or leftover bits of breakfast.

"Little boy..." The Marchioness spoke slowly. "Tell me, is it natural for the servants of my brothers house to be so undignified?" Allen stared at her in confusion.

"Eh? I'm sorry miss, I don't understand your ques-"

"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK IT'S ACCEPTABLE TO HAVE SUCH HORRID HAIR!" She screeched, yanking on his fringe. "Not only is the color repulsive, but you do not even have the decency to cut it properly to make up for such a lack in decorum!" She pulled a fine toothed comb out of her sleeve. "I will not allow such sloppy dress in my presence," She stated, prowling forward. Gulping, Allen took one step back, then another as the Lady Middleford advanced.

"Mam'? Madame please...please wai-AHHH!"

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**!IWASHALFWAYDONE!**

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Lavi grumbled as he exited Ciel's room. It had taken five servants, thirteen bars of chocolate, and an extra hour to get Ciel dressed and ready. He spent the first 20 minutes hiding under the bed, and the other 40 being as recalcitrant as possible when one's terrified for their life, which was an astonishingly large amount. Finally having Ciel prepared for the day, Lavi as determined to sneak into the kitchens and steal some food. He hadn't had much of a breakfast so far and he was looking forward to actually sitting down and enjoying his meal without having to watch Allen stuff his face. All of a sudden he was nearly bowled over by a mass of white that trembled and quaked nearly as violently as Ciel had. Lavi placed a hand on his head and frowned when the boy turned petrified eyes up to him.

"Allen?" The boy just whimpered.

"Hide me! Please! I think she's gonna come back!" Lavi gazed at him in concern.

"What happened? You look like you got in a fight with a psychotic tailor...and lost," It was true, Allen's hair had been painfully combed back, exposing the pentacle on his brow. A jacket had been buttoned over his usual shirt and vest and his normal red ribbon tie replaced with a more subtle one of midnight blue. The thing was so tight it appeared to be strangling him. "Here, let me loosen that for you," He said kindly, loosening the knot and retying the knot in a neat bow. Allen took shaky breaths, trying to quell the quaking of his limbs.

"Y-You shouldn't have done that...she'll notice...she'll redo it...She'll eat me! I'm sure of it!"

"Eat you? Don't be so ridiculous little boy, the consumption of human flesh is utterly repulsive," both Lavi and Allen jumped in fright at the sudden voice behind them. Shakily, Lavi turned around to be met with the scowling visage of Lady Middleford. She sneered at Lavi. "What a repulsive manner to dress yourself. You call this impeccable? It's a disgrace to the name of Phantomhive!" she said, pulling at Lavi's green bandana and taking out the comb again.

"Mam'? Lady Middleford please...WAAAGGGHH!"

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**!IWASHALFWAYDONE!**

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Ciel trembled in the hideout under the stairs. He didn't want to meet his aunt, it didn't matter if she was family. She was so scary. It always felt like she was about to eat him. He jerked in fright when he heard the door click open, only to be squished into the corner as two more bodies crammed themselves into the small space. Ciel shivered as he felt the two brush against both sides, trembling as fiercely as he was.

"I told you...She's not someone you can ever underestimate." Neither Lavi nor Allen had any response to that.

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**!IWASHALFWAYDONE!**

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"Really brother, I will never understand how you let such slovenly servants work under your roof. It is practically disgusting," Lady Middleford took a calm sip of her tea, sitting up straight beside her husband.

"They're just boys Frances, you are too hard on them."

"And you are too soft," she retorted, before setting her cup back on its platter in her hand. "But that's not what we're here to discuss is it?" she gave her brother a pointed glare. "Tell me what's been going on with these murder-kidnappings. It is unnatural how these people die. Almost as if what was doing it were inhuman," Vincent Phantomhive sighed. He was expecting this. His sister was a daughter of the Phantomhives after all. If she didn't have her own extensive network of contacts in the underworld, she wouldn't be able to claim their noble heritage. He began to explain everything. The akuma, his dealings with General Cross and the Black Order, and his confirmed suspicions and worries about the culprits behind the murders. Lady Middleford scanned the letter General Cross sent. She got halfway through before she threw the stack of papers onto the table in contempt.

"Please tell me you don't believe such useless drivel Vincent, or I may have to reevaluate my opinion of the state of your sanity," she sneered, glaring at the letter as if wanting to throw it into the fire and watch the pages shrivel in the flames. Vincent sighed.

"I know it sounds unbelievable. Even I didn't believe Cross until I saw the creatures for myself! But it's all true, the Millennium Earl, the No-"

"OH please that's not what I'm talking about and you know it," the Marchioness snorted. "I fully believe that such corrupt people exist in the world, I even believe that these mythical creatures you call 'akuma' exist. What I doubt your sanity in is trusting this...this useless blathering fool who wrote that sorry excuse for a letter! Honestly! Sending a child to do an adult's job? You should have your contacts chase him down and make him _compensate_ you." Far away, on the coasts of France, General Cross looked up from his ministrations of his company for the evening and shivered as an unexplained chill bolted down his spine. Vincent's gaze hardened and he looked down at the floor.

"Believe me, I understand your concerns." He looked up, fury burning in his eyes. "I will be _explaining_ to Cross my severe displeasure in pulling this little _stunt,_" Shuddering, General Cross dismissed the woman he had seduced for the night and simply sat in his chair, trying to stop the shudders of anticipation and apprehension he felt. "Nevertheless, Allen is here now, and I've lost track of the dear General for now. Damn man seems to have an unnatural ability to lay low and remain unnoticed. So the only thing we can do is rely on Allen that his master taught him enough to be able to handle himself against any opponent they send against us."

"I highly doubt that," Lady Middleford said. At the heated glare from her sister-in-law, she elaborated. "The boy has been taught to handle akuma, yes; but what about humans? He simply knows of the corruption, not how it affects their decisions. He's used to fighting superhuman monsters, not all too human ones. You're flank is left wide open brother, and don't even think for a moment that they won't take advantage of that," Vincent hung his head.

"I know. I've beefed up security around the mansion, but that doesn't mean there isn't a leak somewhere. Adding on servants only complicates the matter. And Allen's eye can only see akuma's, not corrupt humans," He fingered his ring uneasily. "I've been expecting an attack any day now." The four sat in silence for several minutes, Lady Middleford and her husband staring sympathetically at Vincent and his wife. Setting her tea down abruptly, Lady Middleford stood up and made for the door.

"Well, then it's settled. If none of you are sure of his abilities, I will simply have to test him myself." She gained a scary smirk as she left the room. "Let's see how this exorcist holds up against the Head Knights of England. First up is espionage."

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**!IWASHALFWAYDONE!**

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After having dubbed it safe to leave their hiding pla-I mean, _hideout_,-Lavi, Allen and Ciel began heading for the kitchens. They had stayed in the tiny space almost all day, all of them were hungry, starving in Allen's case. All of a sudden a dart flew from the top of the stairs, straight for Ciels head. At the last moment, Allen said something that distracted Ciel, so that he moved out of the way, so that it buried itself harmlessly in the wood in front of them. None of the three even recognize how close they came to death.

"Tch! Missed!" Lady Middleford simply sipped at her tea.

"Next is cunning."

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**!IWASHALFWAYDONE!**

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"But why do I have to do this?"

"Because he's already seen you! If he falls for this, I'm going to have my brother fire him, regardless of his battle prowess," Lady Middleford told her husband. The man was dressed the servants uniform for the valet. He had put on a pair of glasses and a wig to change his hair color, but there was no mistaking the Lord Middleford. Sighing, the man subtly straightened the uniform and walked out the door, trying to catch up with the trio.

"CIE-Lord Phantomhive!" The three turned around to stare at the old man rapidly approaching. "Your father requests for you to meet with him in the green drawing room." Allen frowned.

"I haven't seen you before...are you new to the household?" The Lord sweated, internally thanking god the boy came up with his own answer.

"Yes! The Earl Phantomhive was kind enough to hire me for this position, despite my age. I just started today." Allen nodded, accepting the blatant lie and complacently following the man into their trap. Frances watched the boy in disbelief. How could he be so-so _trusting_? What business did this boy have being employed by people as self-conscious as the Phantomhives! She would skin this 'Cross Marian' and make her enjoy her de-visceration! She silently observed as her husband led the trio into the drawing room. Allen, ever the gentleman, cut ahead of the Lord and opened the door for them, bowing politely. Used to such treatment, her husband didn't even blink as he walked through the door.

"No!" she hissed. "You fool! Don't-!"

"YAAAAGGGHHH!" She sighed, putting a hand to her head. Allen and Lavi stared confusedly into the room, blinking in bewilderment at seeing the elder man trapped in midair within a fishing net.

"Lavi? Did you start next weeks prank early?" Ciel asked. Allen stared at the two boys, this being the first he heard of any prank at all...which probably meant it was for him. How pleasant. But Lavi simply shook his head.

"No, but ingenious to make the victim lead his way to his own trap! We have to use that!"

"Tch!"

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**!IWASHALFWAYDONE!**

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The day continued on like this. Lady Middleford constantly testing Allen's skills at agility and strength and cleverness. Every single thing was either avoided or simply backfired. Frances became more and more frustrated with Allen, until finally she had enough.

"Enough of this!" She shouted, raising herself from her spot on the bench outside in the gardens. Ciel and Allen stopped their rough housing to look up at her in confusion and slight fear. Lady Middleford drew her sword and pointed it at Allens throat. "I guess since subtlety is an insufficient test of your strength as a bodyguard, the only way I'll know if you're truly competent as my brothers servant is to test you myself. On your feet!" Allen just stared up at her in disbelief.

"I-I don't understand...why do you want to fight me?"

"I do not have to explain my reasons to you. If you want to know why, defeat me in a duel!"

"But-!" Allen was cut short as the Lady Middleford swung her sword at him. Allen gripped Ciel's waist and leaped back, setting the young master at his parents feet, before having to leap away again as the Marchioness continued on her relentless advance. "Wait! Plea-" He dodged a strike aimed at his stomach. "HOLD ON!" He raised his red arm, grabbing the blade and pushing back. The muscles in his arm spasmed as he put strength he didn't have into the effort of stopping the swords path. Crying out in agony as the razor sharp edge sunk into his flesh. Letting go, Allen dropped to the ground, using the momentum to roll away from the frightening woman. Lady Middleford sneered in contempt at him.

"Pathetic! IS this all the exorcists have to offer? I feel sorry for your master if this is the disgrace you make!" All of a sudden Allen's eyes widened. For a moment, Lady Middleford thought that she had finally struck a nerve and he would begin to fight back. That hope was turned into fear as she saw his left pupil contract, overtaken by a black as dark as night rimmed with red, like a scope focusing in on a target.

"**GET BACK!**" His warning was not spoken a moment too soon, as at that instant the stone bench Vincent and his family had been sitting on exploded. Out of the ground came several level one akuma. Not hesitating, Allen activated his innocence and charged at the monsters. All of the household stood back and watched in awe as Allen batted away the akuma like flies. Within a few minutes it was all over. The nearby forest had taken severe damage, and the garden was ruined, but they were all gone. Panting, Allen simply stood there, his left arm trembling. Lady Middleford took a step towards him, and his gaze jerked to her, locking on her form.

"Allen," she said. "It's over now, we're safe," With a relieved sigh, Allen nodded, and passed out in the snow, arm deactivating in his exhaustion.

"ALLEN!"

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**!IWASHALFWAYDONE!**

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Sunlight poured through a small, clean window, falling into the eyes of the tired occupant of a simple bed. Allen groaned as the bright light hurt his eyes and turned over in bed, trying to escape the inevitable awakening that the morning brought.

"Allen! You're awake!" Eyes shot wide open as a pair of arms made their way around his neck.

"C-Ciel?" he croaked. Allen felt the warm tears moisten his neck as the young boy cried.

"You slept so long! I thought you'd never wake up!" Allen smiled and wrapped his arms around the child.

"I'd never do that Ciel. If I did, I'd never be able to see your cute face again now would I?" Ciel blushed a bit, before looking up at him with big hopeful eyes.

"Really?" he nodded. "Then make me a promise, kay?" Allen smiled.

"Of course."

"Never leave me. Always stay by my side and protect me..." Allen stared at him in surprise, before grabbing Ciel's hand and putting it over his heart, leaving his own hand on top.

"Yes...Ciel."

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**!IWASHALFWAYDONE!**

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"Are you sure you have to leave Frances? I'm sure the boys would enjoy your company for a few more days," Vincent smirked at the horrified looks on the three boys faces. His sister gave her own intimidating smirk as she also noticed the terrified glances that were being sent her way.

"While I would love to keep your boys company, our own manor must not be let to go to ruin," she turned to Allen and gave him a hard stare. "A word of advice," she said, looking into his eyes. "That of yours is both a gift and a curse. With it you can destroy your enemies and protect your friends. Make sure that you never confuse the two." She grabbed onto the wrist of his red arm. "I saw what you did during our fight Allen. You are used to fighting akuma. You reached for my sword as if the flesh could withstand the impact and edge, yet you did not activate it in fear of harming me." She released Allen from both her grip and her stare and headed out the door. "Make sure to let go of this naïve ideal that all humans deserve protection. It will only endanger not only you, but all those you love."

Looking back, as the red flames consumed the mansion and Ciel and I were dragged off against our will towards the black unknown, I sometimes wonder if she didn't know that this would happen.

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END

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Whew! Man, that took WAY longer than I thought it would! Yay! Ciel and Allen bonding time! XD

Anyways, I'm sorry it took so long for this to b posted. I hope you forgive me! DX


	4. To be made Unclean

UPDAAAATTE!

Sorry it took so long, my beta reader and I have been tossing the draft back and forth for a couple of weeks now. But here is the much anticipated CHAPTER 4!

Whew! Finally started college. Sorry about the lateness of this chapter. My A key doesn't quite work anymore. I'm hoping to buy a new laptop in about 5-6 weeks once I save up enough money from my job. Oy this is taking longer than I thought it would. I gotta get on the ball or this chapter will never publish itself!

As answers to my reviewers questions, I'm posting up these answers, in case anybody else is confused.

**Little Lady Lime:** I know I've already answered your question, but for the readers, Ciel is ten. Remember, in both the Manga and the Anime, Sebastian had been with Ciel for two years, three officially in the manga as Ciel turned thirteen just before Prince Sohma's escapade. Since Sebastian rescued Ciel from the occultists, that means that Ciel had to be ten when he was kidnapped, especially since-by the Anime's info-it was Ciel's birthday when he was stolen away from his family. Allen is about fifteen or sixteen in the Manga and Anime. Since I wanted the two storylines to be on the same time line, In order to make sure that Allen was believably fifteen when he...but that's a spoiler isn't it? Anyway, suffice to say that I simply reversed the clock on Lavi and Allen. That's why they're so young, as compared to their manga ages.

**Random Bespectacled Otaku:** Yes, Sebastian will be appearing. You can look forward to it next chapter. I never planned to have Allen replace Sebastian. What I wanted to do, is create a baseline for the demon's behavior. Remember, Sebastian was named after a dog that Ciel had before the fire, that died. In a similar sense, I wanted to give Sebastian _reasons_ for certain personality quirks. One example is the Butler calling Ciel "Bocchan". That's not a word the English would've used, even though you see Sebastian using it all the time in fanfictions. So I made the saying something Lavi used as an endearment, like "Yuu-chan" and "Beansprout". So when Ciel moves back into the Phantomhive mansion, he clings onto those tiny details, like he clung to the name of his dead dog; and Sebastian, ever the loyal and obedient servant he is, reflects his desire to cling to the past in his actions. Make of that what you will.

Onto the Chapter!

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Chapter 4: To be made Unclean

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_DAY ONE_

Dark. It was so dark in here. With a deep, stifling blackness that seemed to seep into his pores. He struggled uselessly against the chains that held him.

"**CIEL!"** Nothing. His cries echoed fruitlessly about the chamber, absorbed into the darkness like everything else. **"CIEL! Please answer me!"** He had to be there. He had to be with him. If he wasn't, how would he protect him? He promised he'd shelter him! He promised he'd stay by his side! The sound of a rattling door caused him to turn his eyes towards the door he _knew_ had to be there. "Who's there?" The only answer was the sound of shuffling feet. Allen twitched away from a skirting brush of his cursed arm. He struggled as the shackles tightened around his arms, tugging him about, only to collapse as his full weight was suddenly put back onto his legs as the chains fell loose off of his body. Allen shuddered as a cold, clammy hand gripped his chin and forced his head up towards unknown strangers.

"Hmmm...I don't know. He's a pretty piece to be sure; but that arm will severely depreciate his price." One man said, stroking the skin right under his eye. A low chuckle sounded throughout the room.

"Oh, that's not what I'm giving him out for." All of a sudden he felt his head being grabbed. Screams were pulled from his lips as his hair was torn from the roots and the blindfold was ripped from his eyes, exposing them to a harsh fluorescent glow. Raising his arms to protect his eyesight, Allen hesitantly cracked his eyelids open, only to have them open fully in shock and his left eye contract into its blackened scope state. There, in front of him were seven hideous Akuma, their souls in torment. He shook in fright, his arm activating in an instinctive attempt to save its host's life. He didn't even hear the wondering and awed gasps that came from the side of the room. Seeing his weapon, the Akuma immediately zeroed in on him, pointing their weapons at him and firing a massive barrage of bullets. He only just managed to dodge them, his arm dragging him across the ground. Allen struggled to stand up, fighting his own weapon so that he could defeat the Akuma. He cried as his socket was strained by the force his Anti-Akuma weapon used to pull them along, Allen fought for control, struggling to his feet, before hurling himself at one of the Akuma, letting the arm rip the deformed body into shreds. The resulting explosion sent him hurtling towards the next foe. Managing to get some control, he flicked his claws through two Akuma, before slamming into the opposite wall. Allen coughed, blood trickling up from between his lips. His arm didn't even let him catch his breath, and simply started pulling him towards the remaining enemies. Digging his heels in, Allen ripped his arm from the concrete floor and spun towards the final four.

"Amazing! He'd make the perfect bodyguard! Look at the deadly efficiency he slices through those monsters with!"

" We might finally have some proper entertainment at the fights now! All those other children didn't stand a chance."

"Yes! While it was fun to see those defiant brats be shot to death, their end was always so anti-climatic. I mean really? Bursting into black dust?"Allen's eyes widened as he realized that they were talking about sacrificing _children_ to Akuma. Shutting his eyes to hold back the tears, Allen silently prayed that Ciel would never be defiant. He didn't think he would be able to handle the pain of knowing that the boy came to his end by an Akuma's bullet. _Please, be all right! Be strong!_

"**CIEELLL!"**

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Within a different room, Ciel huddled in the far corner of a cage. His nightdress hung loosely off of his body, making him shiver in the freezing cold air. He didn't know how long he had been kept here. Hours? Days? Weeks? He wasn't sure. All he knew was that his stomach growled with hunger, and no one was coming to feed him. He was becoming impatient. At the scrape of a lock, Ciel jerked his head up. Finally! He thought no one would come for him. He stared as a tall, severely overweight man entered with a tray.

"Ooh! Awake I see! Good, good! We were afraid that you had suffered trauma from that little bump on your head," he said, slithering towards his enclosure. Ciel narrowed his eyes at the man.

"I have no idea what you're blathering on about! Now let me out of this cage so that I can find Lavi and beat him over the head with his own leg for this little stunt!" The man merely chuckled and slid the tray of food through a slit at the bottom of the bars. Ciel's stomach growled, and he came eagerly forward to eat, only to scowl when he saw what was on the plate. Thin, soupy gruel that looked like it was seasoned with weevils sloshed around in a dirty clay bowl, accompanied by the heel of a bread loaf and a cup of water. "You expect me to eat this gruel? That food isn't even fit for dogs!" He shoved the tray back out. The man simply chuckled again and slid it back under.

"Now, now little Phantomhive. You're hurting our feelings. We only make sure to feed our guests the best within our services," Ciel snorted.

"If this is your best, I'd hate to see your worst," he retorted, shoving the tray back out, only to growl when the man cheekily shoved it back in. Getting fed up and enraged at the man's bold treatment of nobility, Ciel knocked the plate over, shattering the bowl and actually managing to crack the tray as he swatted it away. Ciel was satisfied to see that the thin, pasty mess that had lain in the bowl had splattered all over the man's face. Taking time to wipe his eyes clear, the man turned a cold gaze onto Ciel, who shivered in fear. What he felt was not the cloying fear his Aunt Middleford inspired because of her forceful personality, or the guilty fear that welled up when he broke a vase in the house or was caught playing pranks on the stable cat. No, this was a sick, paralyzing fear that crept into the very marrow of his bones. The man's eyes, so bright and glittery with fake cheeriness and benevolence had gone cold. They were deep, black pits that seemed to suck in his soul. Grinning evilly, the man lowered himself down to Ciel's level, who tried to back up to the other side of the cage, only to have the front of his nightshirt snagged in a powerful hand and jerked forward. "Wh-What are you-Mmph!" Ciel's eyes widened in shock and terror as his lips crashed into the older man's. Gripping the collar of the boys shirt, the man prolonged their kiss, sticking his tongue down the young boy's throat and nearly causing him to retch from the rancid taste of his unwashed mouth and the slick muscle hitting the back of his throat. Finally, the man let him go, allowing Ciel to skitter to the other side of the cage, choking and frantically wiping at his lips to get rid of the foul taste. Chuckling, he circled the cage, watching in amusement as Ciel tried to outmaneuver him, and giggling in glee as the boy's eyes glazed over with terror at the realization that he was vulnerable on all sides. Kneeling down again, the man sneered at him.

"I'd watch what you say brat. You're not under your precious mommy and daddy's protection anymore. You're at _our_ mercy. So I'd watch myself, or else things..._less pleasant_, will happen to you." With that, he got up and headed towards the door. "I'll bring your dinner...eventually." Ciel shivered, hugging his knees to his chest. He couldn't get what the man had done to him out of his mind. He'd seen his mom and dad kiss so many times. He had never assumed it could be so...so disgusting. Ciel covered, his mouth, forcing back the bile that rose in his throat. From what he had seen of these men, they wouldn't bother to clean it up, and he didn't want to live with the smell of his own vomit. _I wish Allen was here._ He thought. Allen would make it better. He'd stroke his hair like his parents did and whisper sweet words of comfort in his ear, repeating the promise he made, vowing to never leave Ciel's side, to protect him and make sure nothing bad would ever happen to him. _I hope he's not in a cage._ Shivering again, Ciel tried to dismiss the idea from his head. The mere thought of Allen in the same predicament frightened him beyond belief. No, Allen was safe. He had to be. He _needed_ to be. If he wasn't, there would be no one to save him, no one to come and rescue him from this nightmare. _Please Allen, _he thought, curling in on himself. _Please come soon._

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_DAY TWO_

Frantic and rumbling like thunder, a carriage careened across the countryside. Farmers shouted and civilians screamed as the driver didn't slacken his pace, tearing down the road and expecting everyone to move out of the way; and move they did. Once the six dark chestnut horses had passed and the glossy black carriage had gone by, the angry commoners turned about to shout angrily at both driver and nobleman alike for their sheer audacity, but whether Lady Middleford heard them, or simply didn't care, she didn't show. Only one thought was racing through her head. _Oh god, oh god. Please don't let it be true!_ The carriage leaped and bounded, rattling and rocking on the pitted road as the coachman whipped the horses into a frenzy, flying them towards the Phantomhive mansion. _Please, please let the rumors be false!_ Even though her face gave no outward sign of turmoil, inside she was a nervous wreck of trepidation and anticipation. Her husband cradled their daughter in his arms, glaring worriedly out the window as the countryside sailed by. Their son, Edward, was being serious for once. Instead of teasing Lizzie about how unfit Ciel was to be her betrothed, how she should save her chastity for a more deserving man(who would never come, as he was well aware of). He merely gazed solemnly across the seat at his mother, keeping eye contact and yet saying nothing, understanding the inner turmoil she was going through right then.

"We're almost there," he whispered. _Be prepared_, was the real message. Lady Middleford didn't even acknowledge her son, simply continuing to stare out of the window and eagerly watching the spot where the mansion would appear. Her husband worked his mouth, debating whether to try and calm his wife with words he would know to be false, or to simply keep his mouth shut and let the tension build. Eventually self-preservation won out and his jaw clicked shut. Lizzie, who had been sitting in her father's lap quietly until this time, pointed out the window.

"I see it!" If she had pulled out a gun and fired it into the ceiling, Lizzie couldn't have evoked a bigger reaction. Immediately everyone's heads snapped to the window. What they saw made their hearts skip a beat and a scream to be pulled from Lady Middleford's lips. With a jolt, the driver pulled the horses to a stop. Not waiting another second, Frances Middleford leaped out of the carriage and raced towards the manor. The rest of the family somberly exited the coach and tipped the driver, making him promise to stay there until they were ready to leave, before turning to the sight that lay before them.

The once proud and stately mansion was nothing more than a smoking ruin before them. An occasional corner wall bravely fought to hold itself up, but all that was left of the once immense manor was a blackened cinder that still glowed with the rare burning ember, and the remains of a particularly large rafter beam. Lady Middleford fought to keep her knees from collapsing under her. She was a Middle-no, a _**Phantomhive!**_ She would not allow such weakness as letting her own body overtake her pride and dignity as a lady!

A weak cough shook them all out of their thoughts. Eyes zeroing in on where the sound came from, the Marchioness made a beeline for the pile of rubble it came from. Quietly, she drew her sword, ready for anything. If it was one of the servants, then she would rescue them and bring them back to her own estate. And if it was an enemy...well she had a plan to deal with them too. Reaching the blackened pile of bricks, she didn't see anything. Sighing, she sheathed her sword again; must have been her imagination. Just then, the clinking of falling bricks reached her ears. Abruptly turning around, she looked back to see a hand pink from burns feebly stretching out blistered fingers for some form of help. Crying out, Lady Middleford rushed back, quickly digging out the bricks around his arm and grabbing below the visibly damaged skin. There was a soft whimper of pain, but other than that, no objections were made as she hoisted the boy out of his would-be grave. The rest of her family rushed over, her husband and Lizzie fussing over the young boy, dusting off his clothes and assessing his burns. Glancing at the limp form slung over her shoulder, Lady Middleford jumped as she realized _she recognized who this was._

"Lavi?" She inquired, mentally sneering at the lack of last name. The young redhead groaned, opening hazy green eyes with fully dilated pupils, despite the bright sun. Not good. "Lavi, if you can understand me, nod your head." Lavi blinked lazily, gazing at the ground in front of him. It took such a long time to respond that Lady Middleford was beginning to worry that he had suffered severe head trauma. When his head dipped down to his chest, before raising back up, a look of agony on his face, she sighed in relief. "All right Lavi, we're going home. I'll call my sister-in-law, Angelina, to take a look at you. Shhhh...don't worry. Everything is going to be fine," Lavi blinked steadily, looking for all the world as if he hadn't heard a word they'd said, before he collapsed bonelessly into Lady Middleford's grip and passed out.

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The plan had been simple. Cause a ruckus with Akumas, catch the Black Order's attention, make a big enough nuisance to draw in General Cross. A Pedophiliac cult and Akuma fights had been some of the unexpected results, but in the end it worked out better. More attention with the disappearing children, and a way to work off the Akuma's bloodlust, since the bastard had burned the scroll that described how to set the Akumas to self-destruct when it got too bad. When Son Lau Cross had put his plan into action, he had expected to catch several small fry. Finders, Black Order connections, an under-aged exorcist if he was _extremely_ lucky. Never had he expected to catch the apprentice of his target. A bastard Cross Marian may be, but even he wouldn't leave such a young, vital asset to fend for itself.

This was far more perfect for his means for revenge than he could ever imagine. The Akuma-tamers had once been a high and noble house of Japan, with backing coming from the Earl himself, even though it was his creatures they overtook. They had been strong, feared by both nobles and peasants. But all that had changed when that damn Cross came into the picture! He could still feel the sting of shame and humiliation he had been dealt when Cross, an outsider to their clan, had taken his place and been made the heir by his mother's orders, learning all the most secret and powerful binding spells; then having the gall to not only run from his duty as the new head of the house, but to take the final sacred scrolls and throw them into the evening fire. The _fire_.

The Earl had not been pleased. In a single day they went from one of the highest ranking houses, to the lowest. Where their family had once been its own, self-sufficient village, they were now down to a main house of seven. Cross had ruined them. The house of Kuro had set down a blood claim on Marian. Any descendants were subject to this feud, and they would not stop until the bastard's entire line was erased from history.

That included half-grown apprentices who probably had never opened a book in their _life_, let alone an ancient Japanese scroll. Scowling, Son Lau Cross glared down at the boy. Bastard. Cross had seduced his mother and brought shame to their family. He would make the man pay for his deeds. Similar hate filled thoughts filled his mind as he watched the boy be chained in a kneeling position in front of him.

"Welcome little Exorcist," he said sinisterly as the boy jerked awake, struggling against the chains as he realized that he couldn't see. Allen froze as he heard the malevolent voice, swiveling his head in the direction it had come from.

"Who are you? Why have you taken us?" The boy demanded, testing the bonds' strength and trying to calculate if he could break them using his Anti-Akuma arm.

"Tch. So rude little Exorcist. I haven't even introduced myself and you're already interrupting me." He bent over the small boy's frame , his mouth close to Allen's ear. "I'm the one who will determine your fate." He sat back down in his chair. "You see, your current master is deeply in debt to my family, deeply in debt indeed."

"Is it money you want? I've been working for the Phantomhives for over three months now so-"

"You misunderstand me little exorcist. What your master took is something beyond monetary value." Son Lau growled lowly. "He took our pride, our worth. We want _revenge_, not some peace offering!" He shouted, taking a moment to control his emotions.

"Then what do you want? What does it have to do with me?" Son Lau stared with amusement down at the little boy.

"You're Cross's apprentice, yes? He'll come for you. Then it's only a matter time before he's ours." The grandmaster looked at his nails idly.

"But I don't understand! If you want Cross so badly why'd you attack the Phantomhives? They have nothing to do with this!" Allen screamed, fighting against the chains that were keeping him on the ground. He chuckled.

"Casualties my dear little Exorcist. Casualties. Plus, my minions have been looking forward to being freed from the chains of the Queen's Guard dogs. Tell me. What better way to attract Cross's attention, than to attack his connections?" Son Lau smiled secretly to himself. "He'll come. I'll make sure of it." Son Lau turned his attention back to Allen. "In the meantime, I've heard that you won't fight the Akuma. Rather strange, for an emissary of god to so blatantly ignore the souls of the damned." Allen looked at the ground.

"I refuse to kill for sport." he growled, trembling in rage.

"Awwww...Poor little Exorcist. All this time in captivity must be muddling your thoughts." He smirked evilly. "Remember, we have more than just you here in our clutches." the boy tensed. "Now what was that adorable boy's name again? I believe it was Cie-"

"Don't you dare touch him!" Allen snarled, fighting his bonds and glaring hatefully at him.

"And we won't little Exorcist. As long as you do what we say." Son Lau smirked as he saw the fire be leached out of the pale boy, bowing his head to the ground. "Now, I'm sure you have a lot of things to settle. Take him back!" Bowing to Son Lau Cross, they unhooked the chains and led the quiet boy out of the chamber.

"The stage has been set my dear Cross. All we need now to complete our play is you." He just hoped his minions didn't get any funny ideas. If either of those boys came were killed in that petty 'demon summoning' they would be useless.

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"**LAAAADDDIEEES AND GENTLEMAAAANNN!"** An announcer shouted into the crowded room, filled to the brim with lords and ladies dressed in ornate costumes covered in black cloaks and masquerade masks. They chattered excitedly and sipped at blood red wine, eagerly facing the pit in the center of the room. **"WELCOME TO THE GRAND OPENING OF THE MECHA FIGHTS!"** A chorus of cheers and whoops followed his statement. **"IIIINNN THE LEFT CORNER! HE'S LEAN, HE'S SMALL, BUT THIS LITTLE CLOWN'S GOT IT ALL! LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, RAISE YOUR HANDS FOR JESSSTEERRR!"** A heavy iron door clanged and grated, slowly raising from the sand and revealing a small boy, clothed in nothing but a pair of pants and a white clown masquerade mask. Allen squinted his eyes as the torches threw harsh light and smoke into his eyes. **"AAAANNND IN THE RIGHT CORNER! HE'S BIG, HE'S MEAN, HE'S LITERALLY A MACHINE! GIVE IT UP FOR MECHA 655!"**Allen turned to the wall directly in front of him. Slowly the door lifted away to reveal a black hole. Hesitatingly, the level one Akuma crept out of its entrance and into the ring. The announcer turned to him and gripped his exorcists arm. "Remember what the boss told you kid, got it?" he hissed, releasing his arm and heading into the exit door and reappeared up at the top with the rest of the viewers. **"AAANNND NOWWW...! FIGHT!"** Instantly, Allen activated his innocence and raced towards the monster. The crowd gasped and cheered as the level one responded to the threat and began firing at him.

"Incredible! The boy's battle skills are amazing!" One of the older ladies remarked.

"He handles the Mechas as if he was made to fight them." A young man said. "Makes you wonder what it would be like to see him fight some of the more rebellious children."

"I'd love to see him go up against that feisty blonde that we acquired last month."

"I'd pay to see him discipline that little black haired beauty. Just like a kitten in his reactions isn't he?" The announcer grinned. Oh this was perfect. Why hadn't he thought of this sooner? The Mechas were no good at discipline, they simply killed the child. And while the result meant they didn't have to hide the body, it provided no excitement.

"How much are we talking exactly?"

The next day, Allen woke with a sense of dread settled in his stomach. Ever since his time on the streets, he had retained a sort of sixth sense for danger and misfortune. He always knew which days were going to turn out bad for him, and that knot inside his gut told him today would be particularly awful. It was only by one of the occultists dragging him by his hair that he even left his cell. Reluctantly, he faced the doors of his entrance, waiting to be let out into the antechamber.

"**LAAAADIIEEES AND GENTLEMAAANNN! WELCOME TO THE MECHA-FIGHTS!"** An answering roar of applause followed the statement. **"TODAY WE HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT! IN THE LEFT CORNER IS YOUR FAVORITE CLOWN! JESSTEEERRR!"** The people applauded as the heavy portcullis lifted out of the ground and slowly revealed his emaciated form. Hesitantly he stepped out into the ring. **"AND NOW FOR OUR SPECIAL GUEST! GIVE IT UP FOR ANNGEEELLL!"** That made Allen look up. None of the Akuma were ever named, they all just had a number assigned to them as they all looked the same at level one. Which meant...

The portcullis on the other side of the underground amphitheater raised up to reveal a starved young teenager, a year or two older than him, dressed in nothing but a skimpy loincloth with a dagger clutched in her shaking hands. Allen took a step back. _No._ He thought. _No. Not her. Not this. I won't._

"**FIGHT!"** The announcer called. Frightened for her life, the girl rushed him, knife aimed straight for his stomach. Allen quickly dodged the blade.

"Wait!" he cried. "I don't want to fight you! I-!" He ducked as the girl swung wildly, slashing his arm. "Hold on! You don't understand-!" He blocked a stab to his heart with his Anti-Akuma arm. Frustrated, he grabbed her wrist and flipped her over his head, pinning her to the ground and holding on as she screamed and bucked beneath him, desperate and terrified into hysterics. "Shhh, It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. Everything will be all right. Shhh, shhh, just breathe." Slowly the girl came down from her state of panic and collapsed limply onto the ground. Once he was sure she wouldn't lose control, he slowly let her go, letting her get to her feet. When she turned to him confusedly, he just smiled. "I would never raise my hand against you," he said. The girl beamed brightly at him, tears of relief falling down her cheeks. All of a sudden the side doors to the arena opened, and occultist enforcers came pouring in. The teenager went from joyful relief, to paralyzing terror as she was seized roughly by the men.

"Get your hands off her!" Allen shouted, trying to force the occultists to let her go, only to be restrained and drug back into the amphitheater cells. The announcer stood in front of him, a look of fury on his face.

"Bad. Idea," he said, turning around and leaving the grounds.

The last thing Allen saw before he was drug out of the arena, was a gleaming dagger raised high and the crowd roaring its approval as a high pitched scream echoed throughout the halls.

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_TWO WEEKS_

In all the time he was kept here, Ciel experienced a lot of firsts. The first time he was ever beaten, _really_ beaten. Nothing like anytime he was spanked or whipped over the hand by his tutor. He experienced his first kiss, his first taste of rotten food, and the first time he ever threw up at the mere sight or smell of something. He used to fight his captors, bite their hands, claw their arms, kick their shins.

Not anymore.

Huddled in the furthest corner of the cage, Ciel knew he wasn't safe. In fact out of all the positions he could take this one was probably the stupidest. Against the side of the cage at least they could only grab from one side, in the corner he was practically pinned. But Ciel no longer cared about what made him less accessible, only what made him feel safe. Shivering violently in the cold, Ciel clutched what remained of his shirt to his body and tried to keep what little warmth he had left close to him. Not that it did much good, every tiny breeze stole the warmth he had gained and he was too cold to shiver and generate more. _At least Allen is safe, _he repeated in his head, almost mantra like. _Allen is strong and smart. He'd never get caught by these men. He'll come and save me._ And yet, even that hope was deteriorating. It had been ages since he had seen anyone close to his age. The only people who had white hair were greedy old men who touched him in places he didn't want to be touched, made it feel like there was a coating of grime on his skin that would never wash off, no matter how hard he tried. Tears gathered in his eyes as he thought of their gnarled, clinging hands holding his body _I'm hurt! I'm dirty! I want to go home! Allen!_ And the less hopeful he became of Allen's imminent rescue, the more...angry he became at Allen for making it out okay. _Why should he make it out while I have to stay here?_ he thought angrily to himself. _I hate it here! I hate it! Why doesn't he come and rescue me?_

_...Maybe he's dead._ Ciel quickly shook his head, groaning as it caused a wave of dizziness to overtake him. He was so tired, so hungry. That disgustingly obese man had missed four of his scheduled meals. He was so hungry his stomach didn't even growl anymore. _I bet Allen gets lots of food._ At that Ciel growled, eyes brightening in anger. He felt an uncontrollable bubble of rage fill his entire body at the mere thought of someone eating while he sat here and starved. The creak of the door alerted the boy to some new 'guests' and he straightened his back, pressing himself harder into his corner. He didn't bother trying to seek shelter in the middle, the cage was too small. He was accessible from every angle no matter where he hid. It just felt better if he didn't resist. If he pretended that he could escape if he wanted to. Small ears picked up the jangle of metal and he wondered who was on the other side. Suddenly the curtain that covered his cage was pulled back, and he stared dully into the face of an eager middle-aged gentleman.

"Ooh! This is-"

"Rare huh?" Another voice said to his left, just out of viewing range through the gap the nobleman had made. "And he comes as a set with our top fighter Jester. OF course, selling our prize entertainment...you'll pardon me if I ask for a little extra." The man greedily pulled out a hefty coin purse.

"Of course, of course! They're worth far more than three people...more than a dozen! Here!" He shoved an entire handful of coins into the man's hands. The other man simply pocketed the coins.

"Thank you for your business." he politely recited. Ciel didn't resist as he was dragged out of his cage, his sanctuary, only one thought running through his mind. _He'll pay! He'll pay for leaving me here!_

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Allen slashed through the level one Akuma, barely even feeling it when his twenty meter jump ended with him crouched on his knees. He had heard the sickening _crack_ as his body made impact, even saw the odd, gelatin-like way his legs were sprawled underneath him, but his brain was too exhausted to fully process the pain. On some level he knew breaking one's leg and tearing the muscles of both should hurt a lot more, but he didn't really care about that now. Only one thing echoed through his mind now.

_Protect Ciel_

After all, he was not only a servant of the Phantomhives, but a servant of God as well. And servants of both professions kept their promises. He had promised Ciel that he would protect him, and as soon as he had the strength, he would break his cage and tear Ciel from this awful place and make sure no one ever hurts him again.

But he had no Idea where Ciel was, or how to get out. So along with strength came patience, and though there were times when he wanted to simply rip through the guards with his constantly activated arm, he knew that he couldn't. The last time he had broken free to find Ciel, he had been deprived of food for several days and then forced to fight three Akuma at once. He hadn't been able to move for another two days afterward. So keeping his strength was on the top priority list. Plus, there was one other creed he had not lost yet. He couldn't hurt humans with his exorcist weapon. They had nothing to defend themselves against such a powerful tool, he couldn't sink to his enemies level. He wouldn't.

So while he was exhausted, and hungry, and worried that at any moment he would see Ciel's body walk through the gates that housed the ones who'd dared to defy these occultists, he kept his strength, kept his innocence, and killed every Akuma he crossed paths with in the hopes that at some point, their guards would drop and he could escape with Ciel back into the real world.

_I won't let anybody harm Ciel._ He thought, getting to his feet despite the horrible pain that shot through his core, slicing through another Akuma.

_**No one!**_

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Ciel struggled against the rough hands that held him down, staring in horror at the man who towered over him.

"Let me give you the mark of the noble beast," The middle-aged, grandfatherly man smiled at him, holding a burning brand that hissed and spat at the intense heat it had been brought to, giving off an unholy reddish light from the hot metal. _No, no please!_ Ciel thought desperately.

"NO! Let me go! Let me go! LET ME OUT OF HERE! ALLEN! ALLEN HELP! PLEASE!" he shouted into the dark room. _Allen will hear that, he'll come save me! He has to! _Ciel stared in horrified fascination as the burning brand crept closer to his skin. His mind was on overdrive, thoughts running lightning fast through his brain and all he could process was _Oh god please no don't let it touch me get awaygetawayGETAWAY!_ Why wasn't Allen rushing to his rescue like with the bear? Why wasn't he leaping over his head like a superhero and throwing these men away from him?

"ARRRRGGGGHHH!" Ciel screamed himself hoarse as the brand scorched its way into his skin, the sickening smell of his own burning flesh distantly reaching his nose. _Damn you, Allen._ Ciel thought. _Why didn't you come! You're supposed to protect me!_ The brander slowly lifted the iron away from his skin, gently caressing the skin around the mark, before gently wiping away the tears of pain that had made their way down his face.

"I see. Look, you became cuter," The man said, licking his tears off of his cheek. Ciel paid no attention to him, instead, glaring into the distance, the first spark of hate entering his eyes.

_Damn you, Allen._ He thought.

_DAMN YOU!_

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Lavi groaned; just groaned. Oh, his head! What happened? Where was he? He hadn't had a headache this bad since he sneaked into Panda-ji's secret stash of liquor and drunk himself silly. He could still remember the beating his poor head took when Bookman found him tiredly cleaning up with a pounding hangover. Swallowing the urge to vomit, Lavi wondered if it had at least been the good Bordeaux that he had smelled in the cellar and not some weak champagne that had been consumed up in the ballroom of the Phantomhive-

_The Phantomhive Mansion._

With a jolt, Lavi shot up out of bed, only to clutch his head as his headache came back ten-fold. Not being able to contain it anymore, Lavi lurched to the side and emptied his stomach's contents over the side of the bed. Numbly wiping his mouth, Lavi examined the room he had been put in. It was simple, but impeccably clean. A clean white curtain shielded his bed from the sun and prying eyes. The sheets were crude, but soft. The downy texture under his fingers helped sooth his nerves. Closing his eyes, Lavi laid back down and struggled to remember what had happened to land him in a hospital bed.

_It had been a loud, boisterous party. Nobles from all over the country had gathered in the ballroom and spilled out into the cold winter night garden. Candlelight and the cold moon shone into a perfectly placed night garden, lighting up the walkways with the glow of pale, ivory roses and honeysuckle blossoms. Now, in the pre-dawn hours, the gardens were deathly silent. The pale flowers that had illuminated the pathways earlier only reflected the barest amount of light. All the servants were asleep, resting before they had to get up in the morning and start the household up again. Restless and unable to sleep through Chester's snoring, Lavi paced the halls with Tanaka. The elderly butler rarely slept these days. He said that something was putting his nerves on edge, making it almost impossible to sleep unless he was on the edge of exhaustion, and in the ghostly hours between the latest servants and the earliest risers, Lavi could feel it too. It was like an approaching storm. It put him on edge, made him jumpy at every creak and groan._

"_It's nearly 4:00 in the morning, Lavi. Try to get some sleep. The servants will have their work cut out for them trying to recover from the party." Lavi nodded solemnly. "Good. I expect good work from you tom-" Whatever he was going to say was cut off by a huge explosion. Quickly the two raced towards the sound. When they got there, a group of strange, hooded and cloaked men were rushing through the hole in the wall they had created, clubs and torches held tightly in their hands. Both he and Tanaka watched in horror as the men charged the servants, cutting them open and bludgeoning them to death. Tanaka quickly turned to Lavi. "GO! Find Ciel and the Earl and get them out of here!" he shouted, frantically waving him away. "Quickly! Before they noti-!" Tanaka coughed as he was caught in the side by a weighted club. "GO!" Too terrified to disobey, Lavi nodded and raced towards the east wing. "Mr. Phantomhive!" He shouted. Running down halls that had started to burn from the excessive amount of torches. "Mr. Phantomhive! EARL!" Desperate, Lavi burst into the nearest room he could find, only to stop in horror at what he saw._

_The Lady Phantomhive stared at him with wide, hopeless eyes, tears of blood trailing down her face as the men forced their way into her womb over and over again. Frozen, Lavi could only watch as one of the men raised the dagger up high...he closed his eyes at the downward arc and ran away from the room, not wanting to face the truth in there. "EARL!" he called through the thickening smoke. "Mr. PHANTOMHIVE! __**CIEL!**__" Reaching the study, Lavi opened the door, only to see the Earl slumped in his desk, the raging flames consuming the documents and decorations greedily. Tears streaming down his face, Lavi closed the door. What now? Ciel still hadn't made it out; but judging by the bodies of the servants and family, he wondered if it was even worth it. The boy had probably already died due to the heat and smoke inhalation. Before he could make up his mind to leave without him though, a scream sounded from below, causing him to jump with shock. "That's Ciel's voice!" Now rushing again, Lavi ran down the halls and jumped down staircases in order to get to him faster. About halfway down the entrance corridor, he raced past a window, only to stop at what he saw outside._

_Ciel was being dragged away from the mansion, fighting tooth and nail at his captors. Allen was outside, akuma weapon activated, but hesitating to use it on these men. When they managed to grab Allen and begin dragging him away too, Lavi began running again, knowing he had to get outside and stop them before it was too late. Unfortunately, it seemed fate had other plans for him, because the moment he stepped into the front entrance hall, the ceiling finally gave out._

_And he knew no more._

Lavi sighed, running his hand across his face. Why? Why hadn't he gotten there sooner? He was sure if he had been just a little bit faster-! He was snapped out of these thoughts when the door opened, revealing a kind, female doctor with scarlet red hair, and Lady Middleford and her husband.

"Oh good. You're awake I see," the doctor said, instantly bustling over and checking all of his injuries and reflexes, waving a candle in front of his eyes, and snapping her fingers beside both ears. Satisfied with whatever results she had gotten, the young doctor leaned back and began to scribble her findings onto a piece of paper. "Well, he seems fine, all his burns are on the mend, and his head injury didn't seem to cause any permanent damage. How do you feel?" She suddenly asked him, pinning him with her eyes. "Can you tell us anything about last night?" Lavi looked down at his hands.

"I..." He started, choking on his words as the image of _Smoke and fire and the accusing eyes of Rachel Phantomhive as her body was defiled in death._

"I..." _Golden flames and the still form of the Earl, slumped on his desk as if he had fallen asleep there._

"I..." _Frantic screams and the desperate eyes of Ciel as he saw his best friend get pulled away into the darkness as strange men kept hold of him and promised pain._

"I don't remember."

**.**

**.**

**0.0!OHMYGOD!ITSGETTINGDARKNE?'TGETBETTER!**

**.**

**.**

"Are you crazy? That'd never work! The boss said..."

"Te hell wit' wha da boss said! De're de only two we 'aven't been allowed to use!"

"Maybe because they're incompatible?"

"Or maybe because e' doesn' _want_ us to succeed eh? Wit' a demon of our own we wouldn' need _him_ now would we?"

"It's far too dangerous! If we sacrifice them and the summoning fails he'll have our heads!"

"And if it works we'll have one of the most deadliest weapons ever seen by man! I say the risk is worth the rewards."

"You're bloody barmy that's what you are!"

"Say that again!"

"I will and as many times as I like!"

"ENOUGH!" All arguing ceased and the ringmaster came forward into the light. "We have tried and failed to summon our demon by the master's means. Tomorrow night, sneak the boys out of their cells and bring them to the room." The assembled cult members nodded and began to file out. "One at a time mind you! We don't want Son Lau to become suspicious!" The ringmaster chuckled as the last of the members left. "Soon, I'll be the most powerful man in the underworld." He murmured, fingering a silver ring, a blue stone shimmering through the layers of soot in the gloom.

**.**

**.**

**0.0!OHMYGOD!ITSGETTINGDARKNE?'TGETBETTER!**

**.**

**.**

_THREE WEEKS_

The clang of metal used to set him on edge.

When he first entered this tiny hell hole, he flinched every time the bars clashed into each other. Every shake and rattle was the ominous reminder of where he was, of what had happened. Like the bars of a birdcage the rattle of metal was the sign that he was still trapped, was still helpless, was still unable to fulfill his promise to keep Ciel safe.

Now, after weeks of captivity, they were just a sound, as normal as birds chattering, constant and easily ignored if one simply put the effort into it. Shivering, Allen curled up in on himself. Life had only gotten worse since his refusal to fight children. He was starved and overworked, his clothes were allowed to rot away into the barest of threads. He had developed a nasty cough last night, one that his small ration of water couldn't soothe away. If things kept up this way, he wasn't sure how much longer he would have to live. The clanging of the cell door roused the boy from his thoughts, the noise too loud to simply tune out. Looking up, he saw seven occultists, dressed in charcoal gray cloaks with strange, white bone star-shaped masks. Allen struggled to get his feet under him as he was dragged out of the cell and led down an unfamiliar corridor. Too exhausted to fight, Allen let them drag him through the twisting passageways to the strangest room.

It was built a lot like the amphitheater, only there was no elevation between the seats to keep the akuma from firing at the spectators. Three cages surrounded an intricate ritual circle. It was filled with ancient writing and a upside down pentacle, with a pedestal just big enough to lay a child on in the middle. And on each point on the star...

Allen began struggling, trying to break free of the tight grips that held him in place and led him to the ritual site.

On each point of the star, was a dead child, their eyes wide open and a small dribble of blood seeping from the corner of their mouth. Every point had this gruesome crowning,

Every point, except one.

With a grunt and a mighty effort, the occultists shoved him down, keeping a hold of his arms and grabbing his legs. One even took his head into his hands, pressing against his temples harshly. The leader, the ringmaster, the announcer, and the head of this group, came steadily forward with a silver knife clutched in his hands.

"The sacrifice of the warrior, to give our servant strength beyond all imagining," he said, raising the dagger above his head. "All that will be left is the final one, the tainted virgin, the soul that will call the demon out of his realm." A sick, insane smile crept across his face, giving Allen the sickening impression that the man was trying to _comfort_ him. "Don't worry boy, your death shall serve a higher purpose." The last thing that Allen thought, before the knife embedded itself in his chest, was a silent apology.

_I'm sorry Ciel, _he thought, gasping as the pain registered in his system and his vision began to go dark.

_I guess I won't be able to keep my promise after all._

.

.

**END**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**0: 0.0 0.0 **Oh god. And this is just the filler! The next chapter probably won't be quite as long, as it'll be the actual sacrifice of Ciel, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Yay for College! I've finally started my first Semester! I've only had four days of classes so far, but I'm really enjoying myself! ^-^

Agh! Stupid computer! My keyboard is starting to give out on me. I had to remove the 'a' cover so that I could put enough pressure down to make it work. I'm hoping to save up enough money so that I can buy a new laptop soon. Until then, please hang on, as chapters might be slow to update.

As always, read and review! I love to get feedback from my readers! Any suggestions or plot ideas are more than welcome! ^^

TA!


	5. To be made Unwanted

Wow. It's been WAY too long since I worked on this story. I have a lot of fun with this plotline. It's moving kinda slow for this chapter though, I'm having to think out a lot of different scenes to act as a filler before we get into the REAL plotline. Yes folks, all five chapters up to this point, have merely been the _prologue._ This is just background set up. The real story begins next chapter.

Chapter 5: To Be Made Unnecessary

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.

Fear was-in Ciel's opinion-the oddest and most irrational emotion any living thing could posses. Unlike sadness or anger, whose effects on the body were fairly linear, fear seemed to take twists and turns, eliminating all vestiges of common sense from oneself. When hit with that first dose of raw panic, the body freezes, leaving the person vulnerable to predators as their system fought the sudden rush of emotions and heightened senses. Then, once the shock was over, it put the body into overdrive, making the limbs stronger, the senses more accurate, the brain faster. Usually this was the end of the ride for most people.

But if put in a constant state of fear, the unceasing flow of fright dulled the senses, draining away all thought and leaving nothing but soul-sucking apathy. It was this state that Ciel now found himself. After over a month of experiencing nothing but sheer terror, he found he couldn't summon up the will to care anymore. He couldn't care about his fellow inmates, couldn't care about his body, and couldn't even care about Allen's betrayal. Emotion had long ago slipped from his grasp. All he was left with were his thoughts and dull hopes that he would be saved. _Father. Mother. God, Please..._

And he hated it. After all, wasn't apathy just another word for Sloth? One of the seven deadly sins? He contemplated dully as the door to the room opened.

"There we are! Our prize beast, the one who will make all our endeavors possible!" He leaned down to his level in the cage. "Aren't we going to have a splendid gathering tonight!" The leader said, stroking his cheek. Ciel didn't respond to his statement, staying silent even as his toes nudged the body of a child dead from starvation as he was gripped by the back of his shirt and dragged out of the room. Sloth was useless as an emotion, a weakness that all humans seemed to succumb too. "Bring him to the main chamber!"

He must be one hell of a human then. His fall into numbness kept him sane, but it marked his humanity in a way he utterly despised.

"With you we will finally be able to call the object of our desires!"

After all, weren't his captors human too?

_Why..._

_Why is there no one?_ Ciel looked up as he was led into a room that he had never seen before. Inside there were three cages, filled with dead and dying children. They stared out at him with the same blank, soulless eyes Ciel knew he himself possessed. An intricate pentagram covered the floor, enclosed in a circle with writing in both Latin, and English inside every inch. And on every point that he could see laid a mutilated body of a child, unseeing eyes staring at the reflection of the pentangle above on the roof.

_No one came to their rescue._ Why? Why was there no one who could save them? Ciel mused as he was picked up and placed on top of the pedestal in the middle of the room, before the leader picked up a dagger. He ignored them, instead turning his head to the wall opposite the door to see...

_No..._ "ALLEN!" Ciel screamed, crying desperately for the boy to wake up. The cold, unseeing body of the teenaged exorcist lay on the bottom point, hidden behind the pedestal until he had been placed on top. _He didn't make it._ Ciel thought, beginning to hyperventilate as the implications sank in. _They didn't make it!_ The shock of seeing Allen's body finally broke through his shield of apathy. _My parents...my family...my friends...gone..._ He began to fight, to run away from these men, only to be held down as the leader approached his body. The sound of screams rang through the room as Ciel was forced back down onto the ritual slab, several men holding his arms and legs secure. Ciel paid it no mind, kicking, screaming, biting at the hands that dared to come too close. The cult members growled and fought to keep him down.

_I damned him...he'll never go to heaven now! Oh God!_

God. How could God let this happen? How could He let all of these children be violated and murdered and not do anything about it? Allen was one of His servants! How could He not save him?

_There is no such thing as God!_ _There can't be! God wouldn't allow this! _He thought, just as the knife plunged into his chest, heading straight for his heart. Ciel's glare burned into the ceiling, the sparks of hate in his eyes flaring into an inferno of all consuming fury as his emotions overwhelmed him. _But if there is, I'll kill Him! I'll kill Them! I'll kill them all!_

_kill__Kill__Kill__KILL__**KILLL!**_

"**Oh." **A voice suddenly spoke out of the gloom.**"Well aren't you a very small master." **The very words of the entity seemed to burn with fire and brimstone and untamed malevolence. Ciel turned his head to the voice, and saw Him.**"You have summoned me. This fact will not change for eternity. What has been sacrificed can never be returned." **The demon drawled out lazily, gazing down at his form hungrily, as if he could see the soul entrapped within his body, and _wanted_ it. His blazing red eyes burned an almost pink color with his hunger and desire, lips twitching and revealing sharp teeth that accented his acidic smile. **"Now. Choose."** He said, one finger perched on the side of his mouth, emphasizing the wicked, talon-like black nails he possessed. Ciel turned his eyes to Allen one last time, gazed at his sad, regretful expression, and gave his answer.

"This is an order!" He stated, the pentangle on the ground becoming etched into his right eye. "KILL THEM!" Clothes transforming into a crisp butlers uniform, the demon bowed low, one hand cupped over where his heart should be.

"**Yes**...My Lord."

**.**

_**THUMP thump. THUMP thump. THUMP thump. THUMP thump...**_

It was the only noise he heard in this dark, desolate realm; a pounding in his ears that seemed to consume all of his being. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't _think_ beyond that overwhelming noise.

_**THUMP thump. THUMP thump. THUMP thump...**_

it registered as pain and it registered as sound. That unending rhythm that drove on the very core of his being. And yet...somehow it seemed to be...slowing.

And in those gaps of silence he could hear sound.

"_...LEN!" Ciel screamed, crying desperately for the boy to wake up._ Len? Who was Len? Was it him? No, he was...he was...he couldn't remember.

_**THUMP thump...THUMP thump...THUMP. Thump...**_

Strange though. The voice sounded so familiar. Was this someone he knew? Someone he cherished? He couldn't think as _the sound of screams rang through the room as Ciel was forced back down onto the ritual slab, several men holding his arms and legs secure. Ciel paid it no mind, kicking, screaming, biting at the hands that dared to come too close. The cult members growled and fought to keep him down._

It wasn't right. Listening to those screams, he knew it wasn't right. He was supposed to be protecting people, not laying here doing nothing.

_I promised..._

_**...**_

He fought against the darkness, trying to fight, trying to _move_. To help that desperate voice and protect them from all harm.

_**Thuthump Thuthump Thu...**_

He writhed on the ground as pure agony spasmed through him. Close to tears, he fell back onto the floor. There was nothing he could do. Nothing he could do to save him...

"**Oh."**_A voice suddenly spoke out of the gloom.__**"**_**Well aren't you a very small master."**_The very words of the entity seemed to burn with fire and brimstone and untamed malevolence._ He stilled as that strange, dark voice echoed in the gloom. Everything was frozen for one minute as this...this thing, seemed to converse to the air. He didn't know what it was, nor did he really care. Only one question was relevant in his mind.

_Will he protect Ciel?_

"**Now. Choose."**

"_This is an order!"_

"_KILL THEM!"_ The rest was unintelligible as he lost the strength to do anything but focus on his heartbeat, to drive his body into making the organ pump one more time.

Because new protector or not, it was still _his_ job to take care of Ciel.

_**THUMPthump. THUMPthump. THUMPthu...**_

**.**

None of his minions had shown up for his obligatory meeting.

Well, that wasn't true, more like only half of them, Son Lau mused. But the rest were so nervous and easily distracted that nothing was accomplished. It was with great annoyance that he had called the meeting off early and watched his followers rush out of the room to some unknown location. And that worried him. Son Lau was the leader, Son Lau was their guide. Nothing should happen in this compound that he didn't know about. So if his servants were scurrying around behind his back...Well, he'd just have to find out what they were doing wouldn't he?

The sound of screaming pulled him out of his introspective thoughts. Curiosity mixed with anger as he headed down the halls. If all this fuss was over some stupid "pure child"...Then the smell reached his nose, and he paused in the corridor. Blood, that was the scent of blood; lots of it too. The screaming wasn't high enough in pitch to be children either. And there were far too many voices for it to be just one person. Thinking quickly, Son Lau hurried towards the source and ducked behind the door, casting a powerful shielding spell that hid his location and presence behind the illusion of a wall. Secrecy assured, Son Lau tenatively peeked inside.

Red. That was the first thing he saw when he looked in. A swirling storm of red liquid as a figure cloaked in black tore his minions apart, crushing their skulls and ripping off their limbs with an unholy smile on its face. Son Lau deactivated his illusion and quickly made for the nearest exit.

A demon. His idiotic followers had actually managed to summon a _demon_. A REAL demon, not those petty Akuma the Earl made.

Well, maybe not his followers, judging from the way the demon was making quick work of anyone and everyone in that room. One of the sacrificed children perhaps? But which one? None of the ones he had seen would have enough power, let alone the strength of will to force a demon into submission once it was there. The control needed was a lot like trying to tap into the powers of innocence-Oh damn it all to kami, the exorcist! That little snot nosed brat of Cross's apprentice! He was still in the compound! Son Lau growled menacingly, eyes darting back and forth between the corridor and the exit. The exorcist was all the way on the other side of the hideout. It'd take far too much time to go and get him. In all likelihood the demon would have finished and made his way through that section by then. He'd probably get there, just to have his skull crushed into his brain. Shrugging, Son Lau turned around and headed for the exit. Let the Black Order deal with it, he could always try and lure Cross in another way. The man certainly had enough lovers to choose from.

Hmph. Bastard.

**.**

The compartment was silent as the train pulled out of the station, Lavi gazed out the window wistfully, his thoughts elsewhere as he contemplated what had happened to Ciel and Allen. As much as he had protested, now that the Phantomhive library was gone, there was no reason for the young Bookman-in training to stay in England. They were scheduled to arrive in South Western China by next week. Bookman stared at his pupil with a critical eye, as if appraising him for something.

"You didn't tell them." He said, gazing sternly at Lavi. The young boy just sighed.

"...Yes."

"Why?" Lavi shook his head, remembering how his departure from England went over with the Middleford family.

"_What?" Madame Red shouted. "You can't move him now! His burns haven't even completely closed yet! Any undue stress or foreign contagions could reopen or infect the skin! He needs at least another two weeks before I'd even feel comfortable letting him _outside_ let alone-"_

"_And I appreciate and accept your concerns as a doctor Mrs. Augusta. But we have several skilled doctors of our own. I assure you, Lavi will be given every accommodation and attention."_

"_I don't care about that! The fact of the matter is that your apprentice has suffered through an overwhelming trauma, and he won't even talk about it! He needs time to rest, to recover, to realize that this tragedy is behind him, not still happening!" Bookman sighed._

"_My lady," he spoke gently. "I understand your concern, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your help. Lavi is my grandson, I treasure him dearly." he closed his eyes. "But both of us have been given orders to follow a lead along the South China Sea. I _cannot_ let you give him the extra time he needs. We have to move _now._ I promise we'll stop in every city to get the bandages changed, and I'll call a friend of mine to accompany us." Angelina glared at him for a moment, before sighing, all the fight draining out of her._

"_Fine. But let me dose him with a strong antibiotic and re-wrap his wounds. Don't want his wounds going septic(1), especially at this time of year." she said, bustling over to her doctor's bag and pulling out bandages and a syringe. "Hold still."_

_._

"_Good luck to you Lavi." Mr. Middleford said, ruffling his hair. All the other servants stood teary eyed behind their masters, sniffling and waving goodbye to the boy they had grown so fond of._

"_OH LAVVVIII!" Lizzie wailed, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and nearly knocking him off his crutches. Lavi choked and wrapped one arm awkwardly around her waist, trying to keep himself upright with the other._

"_I'll...miss you too-Lizzie," he managed to choke out. A hand clapped onto the youngest Middleford daughter's shoulder._

"_Now now Liz. Don't go stranglin' the poor guy!" Her brother said, beaming. "That's my job." Whap!_

"_Don't you dare harm poor Lavi! He's had enough. He doesn't need you picking on him just because I felt like giving him a hug!"_

"_Hey, hey, hey! I'm just being a protective older brother here! What's the big deal-"_

"_Enough," Lady Frances spoke sternly, instantly reigning in her children. "Are you sure you remember nothing?" She asked, staring down at Lavi with a cool, detached gaze. Lavi stared back up, knowing she knew he was keeping quiet, and knowing what his answer would be._

"_No mam, nothing." Lady Middleford kept her gaze on him for a moment, before snorting in disdain._

"_Very well, you are of no further use to me, be off with you!" She said, turning around and heading back inside. "I have no use for such bedraggled servants in my home." Grinning softly, Lavi simply bowed to her back, and followed his grandfather down the road and away from the Middleford Manor._

"You remember what happened that night. Bookman have extremely good memories, simply forgetting an event because of trauma would never happen."

"Yes."

"So why didn't you tell her?" Lavi sighed, cupping his chin in his palm.

"...Because some things are better left unknown," he said, gazing out the window across the green hills, just able to make out the blackened rubble of the Phantomhive house.

**.**

Straightening his lapel, the newly bound demon turned to where his charge lay, running a critical eye over the injuries his new master possessed. _Fractured ribs, a twisted ankle, cuts, bruises, malnutrition, friction burns and minor internal bleeding._ He had dealt with worse. The stab to the boy's heart had already healed without a scar-a testament to their successful bonding. And while many of the injuries his master had sustained could be considered severe, he was in no danger of dying. Not yet. _And that is a very good sign for us. I should be able to move him from this scene of massacre before anybody finds it._ Calmly, he approached his master, a wide, bright, sadistic smile on his face. He held his hands out, fingers still running red and dripping with the blood of his victims, clipped black fingernails offset by the vibrant color. His little master gazed with a sort of horrified interest at the warm liquid.

"Come now master, the door is open. You will never have to be trapped by such measures again." Ciel stared at his hands, before snorting, finally turning his head away, unable to look at the nature of his new servant anymore.

"You expect me to let you pick me up with such filthy hands? You may delight in such desolation, but I will not tolerate it in my house!" His eyes widened noticeably at his master's comment, before his smile became darkly amused._ Ah. And there is the reason I allowed this bond to happen._ Pulling a set of white gloves out of nowhere, he calmly slid the white leather accessories over his hands, covering up the testament of carnage he had wrought with the pristine cloth. "Of course my lord," he said, sliding his arms under the boy's thin body. Ciel turned his gaze down to the floor. At first he wondered if it was that the boy didn't want to look him in the eye, until he followed his line of sight. _Ah._ "Would the young master like for me to take him with us? We could give him the proper treatment needed." It would be difficult to carry two, but he wasn't a demon for nothing. It was doable, if irritating. _I'll have to carry him in one arm. At least, until we get a cab to take us to the nearest townhouse..._

"No." He turned his head in surprise. Ciel merely stared down at Allen's body with a look of frozen detachment, as if the boy meant nothing to him. "What good is a body in the end? It-... The person cherished has left it behind. Why should one feel attachment to-" he gazed at Allen's body sadly, tears threatening to fall, before they were buried in his apathy again. He buried his face in Sebastian's coat. "Just take me away from here," he whispered. "There is nothing here to cause me to linger."

After staring in shock at his master for a moment, the demon adopted a feral smirk onto his lips, eyes glinting in hunger. Yes. He had definitively found an intriguing master in this boy. So young, and so full of contradictions. He could hardly wait to peel back every layer until everything was laid bare before him, like the bodies of these men he had killed. Nodding silently, he began making his way through the maze of tunnels.

"What's your name?" The boy asked, fiddling with his lapel. The demon smirked.

"Whatever you wish it to be." The boy snorted, giving him a piercing glare.

"If you aren't going to answer me seriously then at least-"

"I am. Demons such as myself have no individual identity. We are referred to by our population, rather than such a personal identifier. Therefore, it is only when we are owned by a human that we have names of our own." The demon looked down at his little master. "Names are powerful, master. If you can name something, you can _own_ it; and if you own it, you can _control_ it." Ciel was quiet as he thought over this for a moment.

"Sebastian." He murmured. "Sebastian Walker Michaelis." The now dubbed Sebastian merely smiled down at his charge.

"As you wish, master," he said, before rushing off at a blinding speed for London.

It was only minutes after the two left the room that a tall red headed figure found his way into the sacrificial chamber. Staring at the bodies, he carefully stepped over the disembodied limbs and pools of red entrails, making his way to the center pentagram. Kneeling beside the body of Allen Walker, the person hesitated a moment, the hem of the black coat began to turn red, soaking up the copious amounts of blood, the brocaded gold hem staining to a near black, before he put two fingers to his neck.

"Clear!" The man called, summoning a wave of finders and fighters, each one dividing up into small groups to search the different rooms. A cluster of three prepubescent exorcists hurried down an adjoining hallway, where the sounds of exploding Akuma could then be heard. Ignoring all other sound, the man continued listening for a pulse. Nodding to himself, the figure picked the body up, leaving the room at a quickened, urgent pace, silver rose cross glinting in the sparse torchlight left from the slaughter. With a rustle, a tiny golden ball flew out of the man's sleeve and began circling Allen's head worriedly.

**.**

Aaaannnd Sebastian's finally here! Yay! Man! I had Ciel's "Kills" in this nice steadily increasing font. Unfortunately it didn't work out in the translation to a Fanfiction document. Oh well.

(1) Septic is a 19th century term for infection-usually of cuts and such-as the smell from the festering probably did have the odor of a sewage system. I don't know for certain if that's the reason though.

I know it's disappointing, but what do you think of Son Lau's escape? I thought about it and decided I couldn't kill him off early on. This guy gives Ciel and Allen a reason to team up. What do you think? Don't worry. I will kill him...eventually.

How do you like Sebastian's full name? I shock anyone with that?

Don't worry my faithful readers! I have already started on chapter 6! Be waiting for it to come out soon!

Thanks to all my reviewers and to Little Lady Lime for helping me Beta all this! ^-^!


	6. Reunited

Hey there! I see there aren't any questions this time around, so I'll just skip the Q&A part. So! I actually managed to finish this chapter early! I've decided to try and post at least 1 chapter every month. That gives me and my beta time to review over the chapter. I apologize in advance if I ever fall off this schedule.

I'm so happy! You've seen Allen meet Ciel, Ciel reject and accept Allen, Allen and Ciel get kidnapped, and Ciel summon Sebastian. The stage is set! It's now time to begin the REAL story! Enjoy! ^^

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**Saving Souls 6: Reunited**

**.**

3 Years later...

"Did the young master enjoy his surprise party?" Sebastian asked, skillfully pulling the boy's nightshirt over his shoulders and briskly doing the buttons.

"Hardly a surprise, they were so obvious tramping about like a herd of elephants. It's a wonder the whole of London doesn't know it's my birthday." Sebastian hid his smirk by pretending that a button halfway up his nightgown was being stubborn. Really, his master was too cute sometimes. He was just as surprised as everyone else at the cake and party the servants had arranged, no matter how sloppily.

"Of course my Lord," he simply said, standing up. Ciel glared at him with one blue eye. Sebastian covered his mouth with his hand, fighting the laughter shaking in his chest.

"Wipe that god-damned smirk off your face!"

"Yes my Lord." Giving up, Ciel huffed and crossed his arms, sitting down on the bed. Chuckling to himself, Sebastian picked up the candlestick off the bedside table. "Happy birthday Bocchan," he said, holding the candelabra in one hand. Ciel stared at him with an impassive eye.

"Hmph. What's so good about it?" he inquired, burrowing under the covers and letting Sebastian tuck him in. _My family...my friends...my pride...everything I cherished was taken from me on this day._ He thought. An image of a pale exorcist as white as the winter landscape, with bright eyes and a merry smile came unbidden to his mind. Scoffing fondly, a bitter smile came to the young Earl's lips. _May you have found peace, Allen._ He thought. _Because I never will._ Seeing that his charge was safely tucked in, Sebastian blew out the candles before quietly stalking out of the room. _Happy Birthday indeed._

**.**

Meanwhile in London, all but the seediest shops and bars had closed, leaving the luminescent town shrouded in darkness, with only a spangle of light or two to light up the roads. Upon a grassy hill above the town, a young man dropped his battered suitcase onto the ground beside him and sighed, stretching his arms over his head and looking with a fond sadness at the city below him.

"London..." He whispered, gazing with nostalgia down at the town. "Been a while since we've been here eh, Timcampy?" A little golden golem flapped about his head, chirping in excitement. Chuckling fondly, Allen gently grabbed the golem and put it on his shoulder. Softly, the clouds opened up, sending puffs of white crystals down onto the town. Blinking in surprise, the person held out their hand, letting the feather light ice fall onto his black hand. "...Snow." He said, breathing gently on the crystals and watching as they melted under his white breath. "Just like the last time we saw each other...Ciel," with that, Allen picked up his suitcase and headed down into town. "Maybe I'll have more luck here." He muttered, striding purposefully into the city, sparing only a passing glance at a pair of male figures dressed in Indian garb who were standing in the middle of the street.

"It's cold." One young man commented, holding out a smooth tanned hand to catch the snowflakes. "Agni, what is this stuff?" he said, sending a quick glance back to his servant.

"It falls in England every winter. I believe it's called 'snow'." A slightly older man said, white hair a startling contrast to his dark skin. An olive tunic embroidered in reds, blues and the occasional gold stripe along the hem lines accented his foreign appeal. A cream colored turban covered his hair, only two strands breaking free to be decorated with shell pink beads. Pale lavender eyes calmly watched their master as he smiled and lowered his hood.

"England. How nice. I wish I could take some home to show to mother," he commented, gazing about the deserted streets with curiosity, blinking as he saw a pale figure dart right out of his eyesight. "Perhaps we will have more luck in our search here. Come, Agni." Agni bowed politely to Sohma, before loyally following him down the street.

"Jo, Agha," he said, following close on his master's heels.

**.**

Not even two days had passed since Ciel's thirteenth birthday, when a missive from the queen was sent.

"What favor does the Royal Crown require from us today?" Ciel asked inside the carriage. Tanaka was driving the carriage under the careful scrutiny of Finnian. (This was NOT a good plan, but he needed the only other sane driver-AKA: Meylene- in charge of the servant's carriage.) Thus, Sebastian was given the opportunity to sit inside the coach and share the latest mission given by the queen with his young master.

"It seems that after the resolution of the Jack the Ripper case, London had returned to a peaceful state. Alas, it was only for a brief time." Sebastian said with fake regret, before reading from the letter. "_Recently there has been a rash of unusual crimes. It seems that British citizens who had recently returned from India were being stripped of everything and hung upside down from the eaves of the Hindustani coffeehouse in Portman Square. Since then the nobles and soldiers who have returned from India are meeting the same fate from time to time."_ Carefully folding the note, Sebastian handed it over to his master, whose eyes flickered across the letter as he skimmed the highlights of their most recent orders from the queen. "The victims all have the same note pinned to their chest."

"There's no mention of what the note says," Ciel commented.

"Indeed." Nodding to himself, Ciel gave the letter back to his butler, who tucked it into his inner pocket in his jacket.

"Have there been any recent incidents?" he asked.

"I believe Scotland Yard is taking down the latest victims as we speak." Ciel lowered his face and smirked.

"Very well, send Maylene and the others ahead to the townhouse. Take over driving for Tanaka and let him join the servants. I imagine his ability to remain alert is running low." Outside the carriage, Tanaka sneezed. Slowly he wiped his nose, hands trembling with the effort to remain whole. The little red 'battery low' light was flickering even as he drove. Sebastian bowed.

"Yes...My lord." With that he opened the door and popped onto the roof.

"AH! S-Sebastian! How'd you get up here?" Finnian exclaimed, unnerved by the butlers nonchalance at gripping onto the side of the coach.

"Finnian, have Tanaka stop the carriage. You and the other servants will be going ahead to the townhouse while I take the young master to the most recent scene of the crime." Finny nodded happily, grabbing the reins and pulling gleefully on them, causing the horses to rear and buck. Sebastian quickly plucked the reins out of Finnian's hands and leapt to the ground, soothing the beasts before they had a chance to panic and stampede off. Finny gulped at the menacing glare that was sent his way. Sebastian smirked as he saw the gardener scurry down from the carriage and hurriedly make his way over to the other servants. Sebastian then turned to Tanaka, who had already deflated into his usual, tea drinking self. "Thank you for your perseverance Tanaka. It is most appreciated. Now go join the others and wait for us back at the townhouse."

"Ho! Ho! Ho!" Tanaka said, before climbing down and calmly walking to the other coach. Sebastian smirked, watching as Maylene took off again, before clambering into the driver's seat and heading to central London. As he pulled the carriage into Portman square, Sebastian could hear the chief of Police yelling at a subordinate, something about not having the culprit yet. Sebastian smirked, parking the carriage and opening the door for his master, who began walking towards the arguing pair.

"-The glory of catching Jack The Ripper was stolen from us also by that brat-!"

"Sorry to be such a brat." Ciel interjected. Both Lord Randall and his underling jumped.

"Earl Phantomhive!" Lord Randall said, scowling at the pair.

"Hey you! How the hell did you get in here?" The young man beside the lord said, stepping forward as if to remove them from the premises.

"Lord Phantomhive...why are you here?" The Head Police Commissioner asked. Ciel smirked indulgently.

"Heh. Isn't it obvious? I'm here to clean up the mess made by an old, pathetic hunting dog."

"What the-!" The young policeman said, horrified that someone would so blatantly disrespect Lord Randall-in public no less!

"Hmmm...Is that so?" Ciel muttered, plucking the notes on the case out of a subordinates hands and beginning to read, not paying attention to either one of the policeman. "A crime targeted only at people who have returned to England from India...I see the victims are not dead," he commented. Lord Randall seemed to find his voice then, indignant at having his case stolen again.

"Don't just-!" He stopped as a letter impressed with the royal seal was waved in front of his face.

"If it was just a highwayman I wouldn't get involved." Ciel said, dangling the letter in the man's face. "However, I won't sit by and watch the royal family be insulted." Lord Randall growled quietly, but made no more objections. Satisfied that his opponent had been put in his place, Ciel tucked the letter into his cloak, and continued on. "The victims are described as 'chosen children of Sloth and Depravity' which is quite accurate. I agree that England would be better off without India's wealthy upstarts."

"_The British Empire's dominion of India. At the present time, a lot of British citizens are living in Britain's Indian colonies. The 3__rd__ or 4__th__ child from upper class families who can't afford luxurious lives in England, can live like aristocrats in India. Those who return from India are called Anglo-Indian. Those who can't leave the lazy life due to the luxury they found in India are known as Indian Upstarts._ They are cowards who were too busy with extravagance and indulged in worthless pastimes. Most of them are part of the Upper class of this so-called 'Great Britain'." Lord Randall explained, obviously frustrated with his own class.

"Upper Class...how worthless." Ciel said as he examined the inflaming note that was pinned to the victims chests. "Anyways...what's this mark?" He asked, sticking his tongue out in the same manner as the picture.

"He's making a fool of us British and our Queen! What an idiot!" Randall screamed, rage contorting his features. "Targeting only those who come back from India-he can't be anyone other than one of those vulgar Indian barbarians!" Ciel smirked.

"So that's why you called me out here?" he asked. "A majority of smuggling Indians have a stronghold in East End." Ciel turned away from the inspectors and began walking back to the carriage. "I see that even city yards don't know what to do with a dark street like East End. It's hard to identify the route and exact number of smugglers right?" Lord Randall clenched his fists, shaking with rage. "Well then, I'll make a move in my own way. I want to return to the manor house quickly. Sebastian, did you memorize those documents?"

"Yes." The butler replied, putting his hand over his heart and bowing his head.

"Good. Then let's go," the boy stated, turning on his heel and stalking back to the carriage. Sebastian simply smiled and handed back all the notes and documents on the case to the young inspector.

"Thank you for your time. My master very much appreciates your cooperation." Then he too, headed to the carriage, leaping elegantly into the driver's seat and flicking the reins lightly to start the horses at a decent trot. Ciel stared out the window, looking at the dull, gray buildings, until a flash of white caught his eye. Startled beyond recognition, Ciel leaned out the window, searching the crowd in the direction the young man had gone. _It can't be..._

"Young Master? Are you all right? You're tilting the carriage," Ciel started as Sebastian's voice rang from above him, cutting through his shock and confusion. _That's right...It can't be._

"It's nothing, Sebastian. Carry on," he said dismissively, ducking his head back inside and scoffing at his naivety. _After all, Allen is dead._

**.**

"Well, that's certainly interesting." Allen muttered to himself, watching as the police were hurriedly trying to take down the men who had been hung upside down and give them something to cover themselves up with. "I wonder who could be behind that..." He didn't know whether to arrest them or congratulate them. He had been in India, seen what the British were like there. "Children of Sloth and Depravity indeed..." Allen watched as the carriage that had pulled in earlier drove off, screening what he could see to make sense who that was. _If I didn't know better, I could've sworn it was _Ciel_ who was with the police, _he thought, idly trailing the coach.

"Ummm...Excuse me sir. You have to pay for that before you can take it." A shopkeeper said.

"Eh?" Allen looked down and noticed that he was still holding a glass figurine from the display case. "Oh! I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make off with your merchandise!" He said, placing the statuette back in its proper place. The woman just laughed.

"Don't worry about it! I just didn't want you getting in trouble with Scotland Yard so close by." Allen bowed his thanks to her before wandering down the street. He kept a close eye on the progress of the law enforcement, watching as they got the last of the men down from the eaves of the restaurant and on to a stretcher to the hospital to be treated for the unequal blood flow that had come about from hanging upside down too long. Satisfied that everything was taken care of, the police began dispersing, leaving only one or two members there to stand guard.

"That's just stupid." Allen snorted. "It's not like the culprit's going to announce himself in broad daylight. They'll never know if the guy who walks in will even be their man." he scoffed at the force's ignorance before turning back to inspecting the shops. It would've been Ciel's birthday a couple of nights ago and he wanted some sort of offering for when he found the boy's body. _I don't know what happened that night, but no one would last three years in that hell hole. Not even Master._ But then, Master would've escaped by the second day and had a new female benefactor to come with him. That's just the sort of man he was. _Bastard._

"Hey! What're you doing here?"

"Don't you know your kind aren't welcome here?"

"Go back to your mud hovels you filthy ingrates!" Allen looked up from the book he was inspecting, a beautiful story about a war and a ring, and saw an angry crowd congregating around the two Indians he had seen last night. The younger of the two was desperately trying to calm the crowd, waving his hands wildly.

"No, no! You don't understand! I'm just looking for-ah! Mina!" The boy cried out as a picture fell from his hand and skittered across the cobblestone street. Tears came to his eyes before he saw the paper stop in front of a set of black boots. A white gloved hand came down and gently snatched the picture off the ground. Sohma's eyes followed that long arm as it traveled up a pair of slender legs clad in black trousers, past a button up shirt accompanied by a red string tie that loosely held the collar around his throat, and up to a pale face framed by snow white locks. A tattered white coat was flung over the battered suitcase that bore the scuffs and stamps of long travel . Sohma stared. If this young man didn't have the faint tinge of pink that accompanied live human skin, he would say the boy was a snow sculpture. Curious eyes peeked over the top of the page, letting both Sohma and Agni see the dark, storm cloud grey ireses, before the boy put on a relieved smile, and hugged them.

"Master Rajendra! Sanjiv! Thank goodness I found you! Lady Chesterfield was beginning to worry!" he said, pulling away and beginning to do an inspection of their attire. "You haven't had anything stolen have you? The pickpockets around here are especially skilled." he commented, smirking as he saw a few of the aggressors turn and begin searching their pockets, most of them completely distracted by finding they were actually missing things. _Heh, heh, heh!_ He snickered to himself, fingering the pocket of things he had nicked and wondering what he should do with it. He might just be able to get a decent meal with what he had.

"You..know these two?" The owner of the Indian coffeehouse asked. Allen just blinked innocently at him.

"Why of course I do," he said, grabbing Sohma's arm. "Rajendra is my master."

"E-Eh?" Sohma spluttered in shock, trying to pull himself free of the obviously insane boy's grasp. The prince winced as the grip on his arm tightened painfully.

"Don't say a word. Just go with me okay?" he hissed. Sohma's reaction was nothing compared to the Englishmen's though.

"You have an Englishman as your slave? How could you! This goes against ev-"

"Intolerable! No native born British citizen would ever submit to the likes of you!"

"Oh the poor dear, forced to stay with those despicable barbarians-!" The clamor got louder and louder as the rage of the crowd built up.

"W-wait! My master didn't force me into anything!" the boy said. One of the gentleman just looked back at him with sympathy.

"You don't know what you're saying kid. These men have probably brainwashed you. Just sit tight and we'll take you home safe to your parents-" 

"My parents are dead!" Allen shouted. Everyone fell silent at that. "I was abandoned to the streets at the age of three and lived on my own for five years. I was lucky enough to not get caught up in any gangs. I was mainly their punching bag for my weak frame." Which was quite true actually. One of the reasons pre-Mana Allen had been so rude and cynical was because all the other kids had a tendency to gather in groups and jump him, even the younger ones. Everyone hated him for his appearance, so he hated them all right back. "I was lucky enough to find...find Mana, my stepfather who took me in. I lived with him for another three years before he died in a carriage crash in India. The bills and debts left behind from traveling were overwhelming. If master Rajendra hadn't offered to help me, I don't know what I'd do!" Partially true, Master's debts were overwhelming. Sometimes he wondered how he got out of that particular part of his life alive. He gave a tiny sniffle, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. "And now you want to take away the person who's been so kind to me?" he asked plaintively. Many of the people in the crowd were looking away rather uncomfortably. The police were just staring at him incredulously. "Please! He's all I have left!" By now the women had tears in their eyes, clasping their hands and looking at Sohma as if he were the Sun God. Allen just gripped the prince's arm tighter, gazing beseechingly up at the crowd.

"F-Fine! But don't let us catch you anywhere near here again!" The restaurant owner exclaimed loudly, storming back into the coffeehouse and disappearing behind the counter. Seeing an opportunity, the police quickly began dispersing the shrinking mob.

"All right, all right! Break it up people! Nothing to see here!" The rest of the crowd grumbled, but decided that there wasn't anything worth seeing if the culprits hadn't shown up at their own crime scene and departed willingly enough. Only a few of the women stayed behind to give Sohma and Agni starry-eyed admiration, gushing about how kind and noble they were for taking in one of their own. They simply hoped that now that the boy was obviously back in his native country, that he would let him go to build his own life. Sohma sputtered a few half-formed promises to find any living relatives and give him some money, get him a job and so on. After prying himself away from the girls, Sohma turned to see the boy still there, staring amusedly from the sidelines as he dealt with these obviously insane females. Clapping his hands in front of him, Sohma bowed to him, feeling Agni doing the same behind him.

"Thank you for your help. That mob seemed ready to behead us. I don't know what I would've done without your assistance." The boy just smiled, scratching his head awkwardly.

"It's no problem! I was more than happy to help out!" He opened his eyes, looking at them with confusion. "What were you thinking though? Showing up right up in front of the scene of where all those crimes are happening, you were practically asking to be mobbed!"

"Crimes?" Sohma asked, his eyebrows coming down.

"Yeah. Recently, there have been a string of crimes where British citizens are being attacked, knocked unconscious, stripped of all their clothing, and hung upside down from the eaves of that very restaurant with a very inflammatory note stuck to their chest. And all the people who've been hung so far have all recently returned from India." The boy turned and began walking away from the controversial coffeehouse, Sohma eagerly tailing him. "It's brewing a lot of anti-Indian dissent, especially in London. You're lucky you weren't arrested first and asked questions later. Even I can't talk you out of that."

"I see..." Sohma said, a heavy look on his face that Allen couldn't fully interpret. "We will just have to avoid that part of town from now on," he said, his mood suddenly brightening and practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. "By the way, have you seen this woman?" he asked, shoving the picture in his face. "Come, you must have seen her! A lovely woman such as this with such a gentle heart...you would never forget her Mr..."

"Allen. Allen Walker," the boy-Allen-said, pushing the paper off his face and taking a look at the sketch. A sweatdrop appeared on his forehead as he saw how bad it really was. _At least it's better than Komui's. _"Sorry, but I haven't seen her." Sohma visibly deflated, before straightening his back and his eyes glinting with determination.

"I will not give up! Mina is here somewhere!" He bowed to Allen again. "Thank you again for your help." he said, before turning about to search some more. "Agni! Let's head that way!" he shouted, pointing dramatically in a random direction.

"Jo, Agha." The Indian butler said, following his prince at a sedate pace behind him, as Sohma was eagerly bouncing from person to person, shoving the portrait in their faces and asking eagerly if anyone had seen her. Allen chuckled nervously. _What an odd pair._ He thought, turning about to go back to the bazaar and find a suitable gift for Ciel's grave (if he found it), when he realized what direction they had gone.

"Wait! Not that way! You'll end up in East End!" he shouted, frantically searching for the pair. It was too late though, they had disappeared. Allen sighed. _Why is it always me?_ He thought, before breaking into a run and jogging in the general direction he had seen them go.

**.**

Lost. He had gotten himself_ lost_. In East End of all places. He really should've paid more attention to the street names. Though to be honest, it probably wouldn't have helped, he thought as he saw the people watch him speculatively. It probably wouldn't be more than speculation. His plain clothes, tattered coat, and battered suitcase all screamed 'poor' to the inhabitants of the unlawful side of London, so the risk of being robbed was extremely low. But judging by the hateful looks he was being sent by the disturbingly high Indian population...

_I'm doomed._

Perhaps that was a little over dramatic, but he still tried to be cautious as he wandered down the streets, keeping to the curb and making sure to give the more openly hostile residents a wide berth.

_This is ridiculous._ Allen thought. _I've nearly gone over the whole of East End by now. Where could they be? It's not like they can disappear into thin ai-_ The sound of explosions-or what sounded like them anyway-stopped him in mid-thought. Worried that it might be an Akuma, Allen rushed towards the sounds, being less mindful of where he was going. Despite the lawlessness , no one deserved to face the end of an Akuma's gun. However, as he got closer, he noticed that the sounds were less like explosions, and more like...punches; extremely overpowered and _hard_ punches that shook the ground, but punches nonetheless. Now worried more than ever-it could be a level 2 or even 3 Akuma, Allen sped up, only to find the people he had been searching for all this time...along with three others-two of whom were natively English, the other being of obvious Oriental descent-and a group of scruffy Indians. Allen watched as Agni accidentally attacked one of the Indian men in his rush to punch the man of English descent, and shook his head. It was obvious that the prince and Agni had stumbled upon a disagreement between the scruffy Indians and the Englishmen, and had taken his countryman's side.

"Hey! We had barely stepped foot in this place and _those guys_ picked a fight with _us_! Do all Indians act like barbarians and indiscriminately attack the British?" A boy, currently tucked under the taller Englishman's arm, shouted in indignity.

"What?" The prince exclaimed. But before he could comment further, One of the Indians doubled over in pain. Turning his attention to him, Allen gasped as his eye contracted and showed him what was really there.

"LOOK OUT!" Sohma and all the others watched in shock and horror as one of the Indian men transformed into a hulking monster in the shape of an egg. The human face tattooed with tear stains looked down at them out of the corner of its eyes, as it had no distinctive head to speak of. Ciel froze, gazing up in horror as a monster from his nightmares appeared in front of him. _Not here. How can they be here?_ He thought, breathing rapidly and shallowly as he fought off a panic attack. His breath hitched as the guns cocked at them. He could feel Sebastian tensing in order to jump away, but he didn't understand how powerful these creatures could be. More worrying was what effect the virus would have on his butler's body. While it was possible that the Akuma blood wouldn't affect him because of his demonic status, it was doubtful. Sebastian was in an entirely different class from these things, and it had already been proven that the Death Scythe worked on him, even if he didn't die. Ciel flinched as he saw the guns train on their small group. Before he could steel himself to the fate of the Akuma's bullets however, something happened. Something he thought would never occur again.

A man, dressed completely in white, _leaped_ over their heads and straight at the Akuma.

_It can't be._ His brain threatened to give out on him as he saw a living impossibility in front of him because _it couldn't be. It simply couldn't. There was no way it's possible. He was dead, dead, dead! And no one came back from the dead. And still, that _hair_ and that _arm_ were unmistakable! It shouldn't be possible!_

_But it was._ And as the silver claws-slenderer than he remembered, with only three fingers-cut through the monster and the figure-dressed completely in white with an elaborate cloak and cowl that covered his face-landed on his feet and settled down on the cobblestone street, crouching on one knee from the force of impact with the ground, Ciel was forced to come to only one conclusion. He was _alive_.

"Allen."

**.**

**END**

**.**

Wow. Now isn't that fun? Ciel thought Allen was dead all these years, and all of a sudden he's leaping over his head and saving him like old times. Man that's got to be taxing for the kid's nerves.

So anyway, I've been trying to keep this story updated at least once a month, though I've got to admit. I finished this chapter pretty quickly cause I was so excited about getting into the actual manga storyline. I hope you enjoyed it! ^^

As always, lots of reviews are welcome. The more the better! I don't even mind flames as long as I get SOMETHING people! I enjoy the feedback.


	7. Freeloader

NEW ! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTT! ^0^!

Ahem. So now that that's out of my system, let's get back to the actual story. And yes, I finally have that new computer that I've been saying I'll get since November. First, let me address the questions posed by my faithful reviewers.

**Half Human Homunculi:** Now that you mention it, I do remember that. It would make more sense for him to have five fingers too. It had just been so long since I had read the Manga that I had forgotten, all I remembered was that the claws reminded me of the tines of a fork (-.-;) so going on that tangent I gave him only three fingers instead of five. Don't worry, I'll change it back.

**chiibiisuke: **Yes, even though we're still within the storyline of Kuroshitsuji, Allen has been with the Order all this time for reasons that will be explained later on. He's in London because he's running away from Leverrier and the other Order members. So he knows everything, including his Noah nature and Kanda's existence as a half-akuma exorcist. This won't become important till later though.

**XxX-Miki-chan-XxX: **Wow! What a coincedence huh? I feel happy that I gave you an unintentional birthday present. Hope you enjoyed it!

**Random Bespectacled Otaku**: Eeeeeeeeeeeeee! You can't imagine how happy it makes me to hear that! Ooooo! I could hug you! (Hugs new laptop screen). But seriously, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. I hope I don't ever disappoint!

And finally, an apology to all my readers out there. I'm very sorry that I haven't gotten on the ball before this. Finals were a nightmare, Christmas was hectic and by the time I got back from the Dallas country side I was so fed up with my computer that I couldn't find the inspiration to write. Now that I have my new computer I'm hoping to be dilligent about posting again. I've even added some extra length to make up for it. Hope you enjoy!

.

Chapter 7: Freeloader

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"Allen" The voice said, and the pale exorcist felt himself freeze in shock as he recognized _who the owner of that voice was_! Incredulous, Allen spun around to look in shock at the petite form behind him.

He was taller than he remembered, with the same shade of black slate hair that glimmered with the faintest highlight of blue from the weak winter sun. His clothes were opulently formal, consisting mainly of black and other dark hues that reflected the dark nobility of his heritage. It was the eyes though, that had changed the most. Or rather, the eye. One orb was hidden behind a black eyepatch, while the other stared out at you with a dark cerulean gaze, bringing to mind the color of an evening winter sky. What happend?

"Cie-" he never got to finish that thought, as the screams of the other Inidians distracted him and made him look on in horror as every one of the destitute Indians burst from their skins and became a ring of level one Akuma. Allen tensed, crouching low to the ground and ready to spring to the air the moment the Akuma made a move. _How could they sneak up on me like this? My eye should've caught them the moment they appeared! _He thought, trying to form a plan of attack.

"Kekekekekeke! Ooohhh! What do we have here?" The group spun about to see a disfigured monster pull itself out of the alley shadows. It was humanoid in shape with long, stick-like arms and extended nails scraping against the cobblestones. It's dog-like legs elevated it to a height of about eight foot three, eyeless face grinning out at them. "It's the ex-apostatle. Hello there ex-apostatle! I wasn't expecting to run into such an infamous character! What are you doing in such a bustling city?" It said, smirking in a way that was disturbingly similar to Undertaker's own toothy grin. The thing was obviously lying, but no one bothered to call it out on it's bluff.

"Never mind why I'm here, how did you hide those Akuma from my eye? I can see every trapped soul within a 300 meter radius." The Akuma merely giggled and put a claw over it's lips in a hushing gesture. Allen growled and crouched to the ground, before rushing the level three and reaching for his parasitic arm in order to pull out the sword of exorcism.

Before he could lock his fingers on his wrist though, the click of cannons made Allen divert his attention to see the level one's aiming for the small group. Cursing, he quickly altered course and jumped in front of the bullets, using his body to defend Ciel and summoning his crown belt to act as a shield for the rest of the party. Once the barrage ended, he tried to advance again, only to be forced back to defending. Allen growled in frustration, being forced to run back and forth, slicing through bullets as the fabric of his crown belt became too damaged to prove to be an effective shield against the unceasing volley of fire. The level three cackled.

"Having trouble?" It taunted. Allen merely sneered back, breathing too hard to send back a proper taunt. "Awww! Poor apostatle. Have to choose don't you? Which is more important? Protecting them? Or defeating me?" Before Allen could reply, a sudden burst of fire at the fleeing locals forced him to call his crown belt back out, as he couldn't leave the group vulnerable. He winced as the bindings didn't reach them in time and the couple burst into a shower of black dust and poisonous gas. Infuriated, Allen turned his cold gaze back to the level three, which only giggled back. "Awww, are you mad little exorcist?" Allen froze. He knew that voice. He had heard it before.

Little exorcist...

"Allen!" a panicked voice cut through the fog of his mind and he shook his head, returning to the battle just in time to stop a bullet from hitting Ciel and his butler, and for the next few minutes he wasn't able to think of anything at all as he ran back and forth, forcing crown belt out again and again in an effort to keep the people safe. By the end he was panting and shaking, legs feeling numb from exertion and shock. _This isn't good_. Allen thought. _At this rate..._

"It is apparent that you will run out of energy to protect us." Startled by the deep, smooth voice, Allen spared a glance over his shoulder to see the butler look straight at him. "You are at the limit of your physical abilities in trying to protect us. It is doing you no good. You must rush your opponent and hope to catch him off guard." Allen shook his head.

"You have no way to defend yourself from them. If those bullets even graze you..."

"I am well aware of what will happen." The butler said, glancing at the pille of ashes left behind by the young couple that had stumbled across their fight. "You will simply have to risk it." Allen opened his mouth to protest. "You have no choice! It is either rush them now and possibly catch them off guard, or sit about here and witness us die as you collapse from exhaustion!" Allen gulped but turned, about to face the Akuma again, a determined glint in his eye.

"When I give the signal, run." He said quietly, crouching back down low. The level three laughed.

"Trying to charge again?" It taunted. "It'll just have the same effect as las-"

"CROSS GRAVE!" Immediately, every single level one was split apart at the seams, white light shining through in the shape of a cross before they all exploded.

"What the-?" The level three cried.

"RUN!" Immediately the butler took off at a supernatural speed, Ciel still held securely in his arms. Sohma and Agni needed no prompting and fled with them, nearly keeping up with the butler from sheer terror. Giving the level three no time to recover, Allen pulled out the sword of exorcism and rushed the creature. The Akuma pulled it's claws up in automatic defense, just managing to prevent it's head from being cleft from it's shoulders. Not waiting for his opponent to recover, Allen quickly turned the sideswipe into a downward cleave, wincing as the level three's claws screeched on the metal of sword, causing sparks to shower to the ground. Finally succumbing to gravity, Allen landed on the ground, sprinting at the Akuma's legs and trying to cut them out from under him. Avoiding the sword, the Akuma jumped into the air, staying in the air through a pair of wings that spawned at the peak of his leap.

"Ha! Try to get me no-" The level three was cut off as Allen used his crown belt to pull the Akuma back to the ground, using the momentum of the pull to add extra force to his swing, actually managing to cut the bottom half of the Akuma's left leg off, causing the thing to scream in agony. Blow after blow continued to be exchanged, each side managing to damage the other more, Allen gained several shallow cuts as the claws of the creature moved past his guard and grazed his face and arm, his blade becoming covered in scratches that ran the full length of the sword. The Akuma was not untouched though, several deep gashes cut across its body. Allen leaned forward to lead into an upward strike when a ripple of pain coursed through his body and nearly caused him to drop his sword. He tried to attack again, only to scream as a stronger wave of agony caused him to drop to his knees, longing to clutch himself as a burning sensation set off just under his skin. The Akuma noticed and began to giggle nervously, which escalated into full blown laughter. "He, he ha ha ha ha ha! So you've finally started to feel the effects of my poison eh? I must say, no one has ever lasted this long!" Allen looked up at the creature in horror.

"Poison?"

.

Ciel watched anxiously from a nearby rooftop, blue eye shifting between the two opponents as they exhanged blows, face unreadable as he assesed the battle.

_Allen's gotten good. Much better from the last time I saw him._ He thought, watching as the white cloaked figure harried the strange Akuma across the battlefield, trying to keep it in the open where he could easily catch and manipulate it with his tattered cloth bindings. _A sound strategy. Even though tossing it into buildings would do more damage, it would cause too much collateral damage, not to mention give it the opportunity to sneak into one of the back alleys and disappear. Far better to keep it where it can be easily seen and grabbed ahold of. _He shook his head. _I just can't believe that he's been alive for all these years_.

And then he stopped, the light of fury slowly creeping into his eye. _He's been alive all these years! _He thought angrily, turning his attention back to the battle, glaring at the exorcist. _He better hope that Akuma kills him, otherwise he will have to deal with me!_

Sebastian chuckled as he saw the young Earl's body begin to tremble with rage. _I wonder if he realizes yet that the deception was not all the apostatle's fault._ He thought, with amusement. His master rarely took control of the supernatural part of the bond. He found such method's of compulsion beneath his status, believing that Sebastian would follow his orders simply on principle. Yet at the same time, he knew the demon was sly and not always compliant, and not above forcing Ciel to extert control, almost as a reassurance that his soul still retained the strength to bend his will to his master's. If he ever lost that, Ciel knew there was a strong possibility that he could be eaten prematurely, so any time the demon's mischevious side popped up, he was always quick to force his will back over Sebastian's, who would then smirk cheekily and fall into compliance again. Sebastian shivered as he thought about what his master would do to exert his control this time. While it was always a task that made his eyebrows twitch and his teeth to grind it was always delicious to feel the raw power of the boy's soul; the sweetness, the bitterness, sampling the meal waiting for him when he fufilled the boy's request.

Speaking of souls... Sebastian's eyes drifted back to the blazing white form of the exorcist as it almost danced around the dark soul. Watching the two, he could feel his mouth begin to water. He had never seen anything like the monster that the apostatle was currently fighting, but the soul inside that metal construct radiated pain, suffering and despair. While it did not possess the same strength as the young master's, the sheer intensity of the emotions attracted him on principle. The apostatle's though...

His fangs extended, a little drool accumulating in his mouth. Such a unique spirit: pure and tormented, sad and strong, filled with both unlimited hate and bottomless love. The mass of contradiction was what had first attracted him to Ciel, to find it in another being was incredibly rare. Not to mention the strange shadow that seemed to almost be another soul shoved into his heart, a part of the boy and yet not. Madness and melancholy emanated from this aspect, so strong and dark that Sebastian could feel the temptation to steal this soul before another demon found him, devour it and sate his hunger after going for so long without any food. Yes, he could pull it off. It wouldn't be that difficult to overcome the little "exorcist" -as the creature called him- after this battle. In fact it would be almost laughably easy. He should leave now so he could capture the boy before-... Sebastian hissed as the Contract burned the back of his hand. He glared hatefully down at the glove that hid his mark, eyes burning demon's red, before huffing and going back to standing behind his master and watching the battle. He had almost forgotten that a stipulation of the Contract was that he could not eat any other souls before he claimed this boy's. It wasn't an Order, but by staking his claim on the Earl. he had given up his free will, and that included making new Contracts.* He hadn't thought about it, or even been bothered with it at first. He had grown tired of weak, mundane souls. Now however... He glared down at the battlefield.

Their thoughts were cut short however, when they saw Allen collapse to the ground, doubled over in pain and clutching the hilt of his sword as if it was a lifeline before it melded back into his arm. The Akuma immediately began laughing at the exorcist's plight, relaxing and beginning to stalk the exorcist as it gained confidence. The monster's mouth moved as it flexed it's claws, obviously taunting the still form on the ground. None of them could make out what it was saying, but it obviously wasn't working as the exorcist didn't move, even as the Akuma swiped it's claws, slicing through the flesh on his arm and then licking the blood off.

"ALLEN!" Sohma screeched, dashing for the edge of the roof, ready to leap down to the boy's rescue, whether he could do something or not. It was only Agni's arms around his waist that stopped him from jumping off the ledge and falling to his death. Ciel too, was tensed in fear and anxiety. Sebastian was the only one not concerned.

_Come on._ He mentally egged. _Just a little closer... _Sebastian smirked as all of a sudden the sword was back out and the monster's head was rolling down the sidewalk. The demon watched in fascination and slight disgust as whatever his weapon was made of purged the taint from the soul and it was carried into heaven. _A Shinigami?_ He guessed, frowning in thought. _No, that's not quite right. He doesn't have the green eyes, nor is his aura anywhere near one. He's definitively human. So how did he do that? _His eyes narrowed. _We will have many questions for him._ He thought, picking his master back up and racing them back down to the mysterious white haired apostatle, not even listening to the cries of the two Indians.

.

Allen gritted his teeth as another wave of pain wracked his body. The poison's effects seemed to come in cycles, boiling the blood in his veins when the dark matter met the innocence in his blood, before the innocence burned the substance away and the cycle repeated. He shivered, losing hold of the sword as he tried to stave off the icy cold that seemed to take over his body when the two were done burning each other out.

"GAHNnn!" He bit his lip to stop the scream of pain as the sword reformed into his arm, sending a fresh wave of toxin into his system. Allen clutched himself tighter as the burning fire of the innocence purifying his system was taken to a new level. He clenched his jaw as the Akuma laughed at his pain, and began to circle him.

"Poor little exorcist, can't move can you? Even now my poison spreads through your body, paralyzing every muscle. By the time it reaches your heart, you'll be dead." The thing giggled in delight. "Can you feel it burning it's way through your blood? You don't have long now." It said, slowly getting closer. Allen simply stayed complacent on the ground, only hissing in pain when the thing ripped it's claws through his normal arm, blood spraying onto his face.

That's right you bastard. Just a little closer... With a roar, Allen surged to his feet, pulling his arm and conjuring the sword. Not expecting such a sudden attack, the level three was unprepared, and with a single slice, the soul was set free. Exhausted, Allen collapsed back onto the ground, deactivating Crown Clown, breathing heavy and labored from his fight. The sound of pounding feet made him turn to see the group he had defended rushing to meet him. _They're safe._ He sighed in relief, smiling softly as his old friend was let down from the butler's arms and set on the ground.

"Cie-" SLAP! Allen froze, dimly registering the stinging pain of his cheek. Ciel glared cruelly down at him from one solitary blue eye.

"You...How dare you just... after all these years and expect..." With a flared inhale of rage, Ciel backed away from Allen, the hot fury funnelling into icy rage. "Come Sebastian." he said tersly. "We're done here." The butler merely bowed at his retreating back as he made his way back to the carriage.

"My lord." He said, following the infuriated Earl. Allen merely stared as they walked away, still shocked into immobility from the stinging pain in his cheek.

"My my, I don't believe I have ever seen our young lord so agitated." An airy voice spoke from behind him. The oriental man had a hand wrapped around a Chinese girl who stared at them blankly. "It's quite rare to run into anyone who can manage to ruffle his feathers. Who might you be?" He asked, flat brown eyes opening and zeroing in on him.

"LAU! Cease your dawdling and come! We must go and alert the authorities of what has happened here." The Chinese man chuckled.

"As you wish my Lord. I hope we see you soon, right Ran Mao?" He said, turning about and following after the Earl. The girl merely stared emptily back at them before she was steered around the corner.

.

Ciel stormed into his home in a foul mood, paying no attention to where he went. _Damn him._ He thought. _Damn him, damn him Damn Him DAMN HIM! He was alive! Alive! After all this time! All those promises broken. So much for never leaving my side._ He barely registered Sebastian taking off his cloak, hat and other outdoor garments and simply shook the cold off of himself and strode towards his study, fully intending on pulling his desk in front of the fire and doing the paperwork waiting for him, maybe even trhowing some of the more tedious and frivoulus pieces into the fireplace for extra fuel.

"So Earl, who was your little friend?" Lau inquired. Ciel felt a vein pop.

"Don't you ever call him that! He is by no means my friend!" To his ire, Lau simply snickered and folded his arms smugly in front of himself. He did take the hint and drop the subject though. Ciel didn't trust him though. The man was far too inquisitive for his own good.

"Young Master!" His servants called, peeking around the wall of the kitchen. Finny bounced in place, pleased as a puppy at his master's return. Maylene and Bard were both equally excited to see them, though they were much more reserved about showing it. They weren't able to hide the ecstatic smiles though.

"Welcome back!" Finny barked out happily, running over to them. Ciel suppressed the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. Sebastian chuckled as he watched the antics of the others. While he was annoyed that the demon wasn't doing anything to stop it, he decided to drop it. He was going to do paperwork anyway. It suprised him though that the demon hadn't inquired into who the boy who had saved them was. Lau wouldn't shut up about it the entire way back to the townhouse. Maybe he wasn't curious, though now that he thought about it, he probably already knew. Allen had been there on the day of his sacrifice. He could just remember the teenager. Other than height and the level of cleanliness, Allen hadn't really changed. It was really the only reason he hadn't mistaken him for someone else. Everything else, his clothes, his posture, the age in his eyes, all had changed. It was only because he still looked like a boy just out of puberty that Ciel had been able to recognize him.

"I see you brought your servants with you this time." Lau commented, turning his eyes to the Earl, a shrewd light burning in them. Ciel let out a quiet groan. He knew the man wouldn't stop, he was just being more subtle about it.

"Yes well, they would end up being even more of a burden if we left them at home." Sebastian replied, only answering the first level of that question. Ciel shuddered, remembering the state they had found the manor in when they had finally returned from the Jack the Ripper investigation and Madame Red's funeral. Sebastian shook himself from his thoguhts and beamed at the others. "Well now, you must all be tired due to the cold." He said. _Not to mention the trauma of those strange monsters._ "I shall serve tea immediately."

"Fair enough then." Ciel said, heading for the study.

"Instead of English tea let's have Chai, that would be better."

"Fair enough then." Ciel replied, adjusting his taste buds for the stronger, bitterer flavor of Chai and finding it indeed, more suited for his taste buds right now.

Wait a minute... He didn't recognize that voice. Turning sharply, Ciel spun on his heel to see the two Indians who had attacked them before the Akuma became involved, and Allen standing in the foyer.

"Wow, this is a lot narrower than my palace." The younger of the two Indians commented, gazing about in interest.

"Why in the blazes are you here?" Ciel shouted at them. The young Indian looked at him curiously.

"Huh? But, we met earlier today. Did you forget?" The man asked.

"They just met today..." Maylene murmured in disbelief. Bard and Finny didn't respond. The servants stared at the banter being exchanged between the two, clearly confused on whether they should attack this intruder or not. On the one hand, he didn't seem very dangerous, but he had still trespassed and should therefore be dealt with.

"Besides, I saved you. In India, it's common to welcome and entertain benefactors. We even have a saying: 'Entertain the guest, even if you must sell your treasures'." He stated, crossing his arms and looking at them haughtily. "Oi, where's the bed?" He said suddenly, looking about the enterance as if one would appear in the corner of his vision.

"Why are you looking for a bed?" Lau asked.

"In India, it's customary to sit with the guests on the bed." A voice said from behind them. Everyone turned their heads to see that it was Allen who had spoken. Ciel glared at him. Bard, having enough of being left in the dark, turned to the white haired exorcist.

"And just who-"

"PRRIIIIINNNNCEEEEE!" Automatically, the attention switched to the white haired Indian who was standing halfway on the staircase up to the second story of the townhouse. "PRINCE! I found it!" The man said, waving to the young Indian to come up the stairs while everyone else wondered how he had gotten up there without anyone noticing, including Sebastian.

"Um..." Ciel started, trying to get the attention of the occupants of his house. "Excuse me!" Ciel shouted as the young purple haired Indian brushed past him and began ascending the stairway.

"Meh. However narrow it is, I've decided to stay here." The young man stated.

"Now wait a minute! Why do I have to look after you guys?" Ciel demanded, racing after his self-imposed guests, seething in rage when he saw they had discovered his room and that the annoying Indian had flopped himself down on his sheets, rolling about in them as if he were a cat.

"I really didn't consider staying at an Inn. Is it common in England for people to kick benefactors out into the cold?" He said, laying on his back and gazing up at Ciel smugly.

"And just how are you my benefactor?" Ciel spat, looking much like a disgruntled kitten himself, all puffed out fur and snappy attitude.

"You were saved from those mecha-monsters were you not?" The man replied.

"That was Allen! Not you! If I was to offer my lodgings to anyone it would be to him!" The youth stared at him in bemusment.

"But Allen's my servant." He commented. Ciel quickly spun around to glare at the exorcist, a snarl on his lips. Everyone stared at him in incredulity, including the servants.

"I just said that to get you out of trouble with the yard!" He spat back, looking angry and rather embaressed at the same time. Ciel huffed, turning back to the more pressing situation. _It doesn't matter._ He told himself, ignoring the stab of betrayl.

"Apart from that, just who...who the hell are you anyway?" He demanded. The young Indian, now on his stomach, turned his head to look at Ciel with one gold eye.

"Me? I'm a prince," He said regally.

"A prince?" Sebastian asked. The white haired Indian stepped forward.

"May I present the 26th child to the king of the princely state of Bengal: Prince Sohma Asman Gandal," He introduced.

"And this is my butler Agni." Sohma said, gesturing informally to the man, all the while smirking. "I'm going to be staying here a while...midjet." Ciel froze.

"Then, as a symbol of our new friendship, this Agni will make you all Chai!" The white haired butler said, beaming brightly. "On a cold day, Chai tea with ginger cannot be beaten!" And then he promptly left to find the kitchen and begin his self-appointed task.

"Er-wait! Serving tea is my kind of thing." Sebastian objected, following Agni out of the room.

"Amazing! Are you really a prince?" Finny asked, sparkles lighting up his eyes.

"A prince... " Maylene whispered, a blush beginning to take over her cheeks.

"Hmm... this my first time seeing a real live prince." Bard said, obviously trying to disguise his own enthusiasm at having royalty in the house, never mind that their master was practically royalty himself.

"I will allow you to come close," Sohma said smugly, closing his eyes for dramatic effect. Ciel opened his mouth to deter his servants from further interaction, only to have them rush the prince and begin firing questions off.

"What kind of place is Bengal?" Maylene asked excitedly.

"It is a holy country blessed by the goddess Kali and the Ganges river." Sohma sounded like he was reciting from a textbook, not that any of the servants seemed to notice.

"So you're a Prince from a holy country?" Finny asked, seeming even more happy and hyper than ever.

"Is it on India's west side?" Bard inquired, the soldier inside him trying to remember the geography of the area. Allen stepped up next to Ciel, watching the interaction of his friend's servants and Sohma with amusement.

"Looks like there's going to be some lively times ahead, eh Ciel?" Allen asked teasingly, grinning at his old friend. Ciel shook, a dark aura gathering around him.

"GET OUT!"

.

"Ciel... Sir? It is time to wake up." A deep voice called out. Ciel groggily rubbed his eyes, unwilling to stir. He was quite comfortable in bed, why couldn't Sebastian let him have just a few more minutes of sleep. "Ciel... Sir?" Growling in frustration , Ciel opened his eyes to snap at the demon...

"Good Morning!" Agni greeted cheerfully, leaning over the bed, his face only a few inches away from his own.

"!"

"Namaste, Ciel Sir." The Indian butler said, bowing to him in the traditional Oriental way. "Breakfast has already been served."

"Wh-Why are you in my bedroom?" Ciel demanded,scrambling away from the man in alarm and shock.

"I am here to help you get ready for the day of course!" The man said simply, still beaming at him. "Now come! I shall help you into your outfit of the day!" Ciel paled.

"No!" He screamed, leaping out of the bed and running for the bathroom, only to be outpaced by the idiotic man that dared to call himself a butler. He was not his butler! "Go tend to your own charge!"

"Excuse me," Sebastian started, stepping into his masters room. "Young mas-" He stopped in shock as he processed what he was seeing.

"Put me down!" Ciel screamed, beating the Indian over the head with his fists.

"Now now, you need to hurry! The food will get cold if you don't hurry!" Agni chirped brightly, holding the Earl on one shoulder as if he were a small child. Well... smaller.

"Oyah? It's been lively here since early this morning," Lau said, popping his head round the corner and watching the struggle between Ciel and Agni with vague interest.

"SEBASTIAAAAAANNNNN!" The servants cried, racing to the black haired demon. The Phantomhive butler sighed.

"Can you three kindly remember that we are in front of guests?" Sebastian snapped at them.

"What's wrong? What did you do... again?"

"It-It's weird!" The three cried together.

"The food!" Bard shouted.

"The yard!" Finny screamed.

"The clothes!" Maylene wailed.

"Weird?" Sebastian asked, forgetting about Ciel in the confusion. The servants just led him outside.

"Hey! Sebastian! Somebody get me down!" All of a sudden a pair of hands grabbed hold of his waist and plucked him out of Agni's grasp. Ciel gasped and squirmed, trying to get out of this foreign hold, not used to being touched by strangers.

"Why don't you leave Ciel to me? At this rate the food will be cold by the time everyone's ready." Agni looked sheepish. "Just catch up to Sebastian. I'm sure he can help keep the food until everyone's ready to eat." Agni nodded happily and walked out the door. Sighing in relief, Allen set him back down on the ground, absently straightening his nightshirt. "Sorry about that. I tried to deter him, but he managed to sneak past me while I was getting changed," Allen grinned at him, putting a hand on Ciel's shoulder. Scowling, Ciel smacked his hand away.

"Don't presume to touch me! You lost that right when you abandoned me to my fate!" Trembling in rage, Ciel spun around, storming up the staircase back up to his room. "Sebastian!" He shouted, too angry to pay any mind to the conventional means of calling his servant. Allen frowned at the Earl's back. _What is wrong with you Ciel?_ He thought. _Why will you not listen to me? I thought... I was your friend._ Allen sighed, before heading into the kitchen to cook breakfast for the rest of the servants.

Sebastian was struck speechless. It was as if someone had gone through the entire mansion and dug up every scrap of cloth and had washed it during the night, leaving it to dry in the early morning breeze. Wordlessly the servants led him into the back gardens.

"What-?" While the hedges and shrubbery hadn't been changed (thank god), there were now several elephants roaming the grounds. Bard led them into the dining room, where a veritable had been placed. The smell of foreign spices permeated the room, making the servant's stomachs rumble. "What happened ?" Sebastian whispered, mostly recovered, but very confused and intrigued . This shouldn't be possible. At least, not by human standards. As a demon, he could have managed all of this and more, but forced inside the limits of human means, even he would've been hard pressed to accomplish all of this. Agni bowed to him.

"It was presumptuous of me, but I have prepared all of this myself!" Sebastian stared at the Indian butler, his gaze speculative. How was this possible? He was sure that this man was human, but a normal person would never be able to accomplish something like this with absolutely no assistance.

"Oh, you shouldn't have. Please, just relax as you are our guest." He said. Sebastian really didn't want to leave his room every morning to find everything mixed up with foreign decorations.

"Oh but it's nothing!" Agni exclaimed. "The prince of course, is excluded. However, I am a mere butler. So I think the least I can do is help the hardworking Sebastian a hand." The entire Phantomhive household stared at Agni, who simply beamed at them, positively radiant. "Allen helped me with some of the heavy lifting, but he seemed very preoccupied with something." Sebastian sent a dark contemplative look at the servants standing behind him, before turning to face them and beaming brightly.

"Why don't you all kneel on the ground and beg for even a mere scrap of Agni's talents. Perhaps it would even improve you a little." He said. The servants stared at him with heartbroken dazed looks, not quite believing that Sebastian had just said that, before swamping the poor Indian and begging for scraps, even starting a minor scuffle over it. Sebastian simply walked away, face black with exasperation and resignation. Honestly, he should be used to them taking his orders so literally by now...

"So..." Ciel said, trying to keep his voice calm, spooning up some of the prawn curry onto his spoon. "How long do you two plan to stay at my house?" He asked, leaning forward onto the table. A warning glance from Sebastian had his elbows off the table and him sitting straight again.

"We'll leave when our work is done." Sohma said, munching down on a large piece of ginger french toast while Agni poured his tea.

"And that is..." Ciel stressed, a tick mark forming in his temple at being stonewalled by these imbeciles.

"Aren't you guys looking for someone?" Lau supplied helpfully, cutting a square of french toast and eating it.

"So what if they are?" Ciel questioned aggressively, irritated at these people who were forcing themselves on his hospitality. "And why do you need to stay here also?" Ciel shouted angrily at the air-headed Chinese man.

"What's so wrong with me staying here?" Lau asked innocently. Ciel growled.

"We're looking for a lady," Sohma said, reaching into his pocket. "This lady." He said, pulling out a badly drawn picture of an Indian woman that was so generic no one would ever be able to identify the person from it. "This is Mina," Sohma continued, stuffing his face with prawn curry before spooning it onto the french toast and eating the two together. "She was a maidservant at my palace."

"...This is..." Ciel paused, gazing at the picture and trying to come up with the most derogatory, true word that would fit this picture.

"I drew that." Sohma commented, still stuffing his face. Oh. Well then, useless was far too nice a word. He'd have to come up with something better. He was an Earl after all. "I drew it so good that once you see her in person you'll recognize her for sure!" ...Ah dammit, there was no way he could destroy this guys self-esteem. It would be like kicking a 5 year old. Redundant, and just downright cruel. "Isn't she a beauty?" He inquired excitedly. Okay, this guy had to go soon. No way he was putting up with him for however long it took them to find this Mina person. Ciel sighed.

"Sebastian, can you find her with this picture?" He inquired. He probably couldn't but even now he didn't know the full extent of a demon's powers. The butler gave the paper a dubious glance.

"Even for me, that's..." He trailed off and sighed. "Very well, I'll try my best then." Lau took the picture out of the Earl's hands and began inspecting it.

"Meh, I have never seen such a beautiful lady." He said, part joking, and part serious as he began stroking the picture.

"Of course she is! She is the most beautiful woman in the palace!" Sohma said, bowing his head in thanks to Ciel for the meal.

"So, what is she doing in England?" The Earl asked, turning to them. Ciel suppressed a growl. "Listen!" He shouted. The two Indians paid him no mind, bowing and praying to an odd statue of a six armed woman. "What the hell is this all of sudden? Where did they get that statue from?" Ciel demanded, confused beyond all belief and more than exasperated with his "guests".

"It looks like they're praying; but that's such an awful, surreal depiction of God." Lau commented.

"A figure of God?" Sebastian asked. "It's just a statue of a woman who holds Men's heads, wears Men's heads as a necklace, and dances on a man's stomach." He said bluntly.

"Meh, something like that. It's how I see it." Lau laughed.

"It's the statue of the Goddess Kali." A voice said from behind them. The three abruptly spun around to see Allen standing behind them.

"Allen!" Lau cried happily. Ciel sneered and turned his head away from the white haired exorcist, but continued to listen.

"Kali is a Goddess from the Hindu religion of India." Allen said.

"So it's a God from India?" Sebastian inquired. Allen nodded.

"Kali is the goddess of power, and wife to Shiva, the god of destruction. She protects her followers from misfortune, along with many other things." He continued. "A long time ago, a demon recklessly challenged the goddess to fight with him. Of course, the fight went to the goddess. However, the defeat of her enemy awakened a lust for bloodshed and destruction. The continuous massacres led to the decimation of the people, whose heads were used to make necklaces for her to wear."

"So the damage done by the goddess was worse than what the demon did eh?" Lau said. Allen nodded.

"None of the other gods could stop her, so they decided to destroy the Earth, killing her in the process. It was at this moment when her husband Shiva, in a desperate move to save the world, lay down at her feet."

"Ah! So that's why he's being trampled on." Sebastian said, slapping his fist into his palm. "Just a matrimonial quarrel."

"Shouldn't he have done this sooner before all those people were killed?" Ciel muttered under his breath.

"In India, the lower body, especially the feet, are considered dirty, and it is an insult to show the bottom of your shoe to another person. So when Kali stepped on her husband with her dirty feet, she immediately came back to herself, and the world went back to it's peaceful state." Allen said smiling. "In other words, Kali is a powerful goddess, one who defeated the demon after a time of struggle. She holds the head of the demon in her hands as proof of the deed."

"Is that so?" Ciel asked, looking up at Sebastian.

"If such a strong person exists, I shall have to be careful when I go to India." The butler stated. Allen just stared at him confusedly.

"Right, Agni and I have finished praying now." Sohma said, dusting off his pants from kneeling on the ground, before putting the young Earl in a headlock and dragging him to the door. "Let us go midget! You shall be my guide!" The prince stated.

"Why me?" Ciel screamed, trying to pry himself loose. "Besides, my name is Ciel! Not midget!"

"Then I order you, Ciel, to lead the way." Sohma stated, still heading resolutely for the door. In order to stop the kidnapping of the Earl, Sebastian stepped in front of them and put a hand in their path. Sohma stopped dead.

"I'm terribly sorry." Sebastian started. "But it has already been scheduled for the young master to study and work today." Ciel used the moment of confusion to slip free of the prince's tight grip and walk with his butler.

"As you can see, I am extremely busy. If you want to look for that person, do it yourself." He said as he turned around and headed into the study.

.

"Now then, during your stay in London, instead of governess Adams and the others... I will serve as your tutor." Sebastian said, adjusting his glasses with the tip of his bow, smiling down at Ciel. "Firstly, let's practice the second suite of the partita solo for violin." Ciel read the music, a faint frown on his face.

"Chaccone of Bach." He stated. "This piece of magic is extremely high level." He looked up angrily at Sebastian. "How can I play...!" He was caught as the violin bow came up and tapped his jawbone, clicking his mouth shut.

"Because it is hard. If you can do this you will gain confidence. That is my method as a tutor." Sebastian said, smirking down at his lord. "Do you have a problem with my education policy?" He asked, smile honey sweet. Ciel just glared at him, wanting to protest but also a little afraid of his butler. "Then prepare the bow." Sebastian said. Ciel carefully set his bow on the string, before pulling gracefully, playing softly and steadily getting stronger as he got into the piece. Sebastian watched him critically as he began faltering. "The important thing for D minor is to express the tune with severity and piety." He said in encouragement, as if oblivious to his missed notes. All of a sudden the notes regained their surety, taking on an almost double quality that harmonized with the melody. "That's it. You're doing very well." He said, smiling as Ciel flowed through the piece. "Express the tune with intense emotions." He coached. The melody became even stronger, the soft sound of the harmony increasing as well, bringing his attention to the fact that it wasn't the violin, but was in fact a piano that was playing the supporting melody. "At the appropriate time, use the sound to represent anger and melancholy." The sound of two foreign instruments joined in, jarring the the melody out of its harmony. Eyebrow twitching Sebastian turned to the source of the disturbance, blinking as he saw Sohma and Agni sitting on the ground with Indian instruments in their hands...

And Allen sitting at the Piano, leaning on the keys and glaring at the two Indians. Sebastian smirked. So...

"What are you doing?" Ciel demanded, attention focused on the two foreigners.

"I just think it will be good to spend some time with Ciel today." Sohma said, beaming brightly. "I am also talented when it comes to musical instruments!" Ciel trembled, hands shaking in rage before he lost it.

"GET OUT!" He shouted, tossing the two out of the room. He turned back to his music, only to see Allen sitting at the piano. A cold glare was directed at the exorcist, before he stomped off to his new lesson.

"Next, it's art study," Sebastian said, a bottle of wine standing stately next to a bowl filled with fruit, a rich cloth acting as a base. "Look for balance calmly and bring out the depth." Ciel listened intently, holding his pencil in front of his nose, using it as his scale for still life.

"What? Drawing a bottle is boring isn't it?" Sohma spoke up from behind Ciel. "Drawing is better with a naked woman right?" He said, pointing at Maylene. "So woman! Undress!" He ordered. Maylene skittered away from the prince, clutching her maid uniform.

"I-I will only undress for the man I love!" She squeaked.

"May I help?" Lau said from behind her. Maylene squealed and backpedaled, beating a hasty retreat into the servant's quarters. Ciel growled.

"GET OUT!" He screamed, booting them out yet again before going back to his drawing. He threw another brief glare at Allen, who had been standing in the corner by the door, before kicking him out as well.

"The samples of the limited Christmas goods from our Yorkshire factory have arrived." Sebastian said, looking over the numbers of the Company's profit this quarter. Ciel listened to the statistics as he picked up the largest toy rabbit, squeezing its middle.

"Um..." He sighed in pleasure. "Feels good now that they've remade it." Ciel said, running his hands through it's fur.

"The production plan for next year is here from headquarters as well." Sebastian said, reading through the charts and schedules. "It seems that our new products; such as the Christmas cracker are having favorable sales at the Herriot department store. Though since most of our customers are children we will need to keep producing new toys." Ciel nodded his head, looking down and spotting a strange gold string with a flattened tassel hidden among the stuffed animals. Curious, Ciel pulled it, only to drag a gold ball with a cross done across the face and a pair of wings. Picking it up, Ciel weighed the thing in his hands, gently extending the wings and stroking the round part, feeling the design done across the "face".

"What is this?" He asked. "Is the company trying to foist ideas onto me again?" He snorted. "They've done just as bad a job as last time. I can't see the purpose of having something like this."

"That's it!" Sohma cried. "I have a new business plan for you!" He said excitedly, pointing his finger, as he always seemed to when he got emotional, at Ciel. "Look at this!" He said, motioning to Agni. The white haired servant lifted a large card to show a picture of an elephant with a rich fabric draped across it's back. "It's a doll of the Indian god Ganesh; but get this. Somehow the nose...moves!" He explained, having Agni pull up the card to reveal a second one with the elephant's trunk in the air. Ciel clenched his jaw.

"GET OUT!" He screamed, throwing the gold ball at them, the thing's head hitting the prince in the jaw. Immediately the little golden ball came to life, flapping its wings and flying back to him and circling his head angrily. (Though how something without a face could be angry was beyond him) Ciel watched it in fascination, a speculative gleam in his eye as the ball continued to fly about.

"Ah! Timcampy! I thought I had lost you after that fight!" The little golden ball-Timcampy-instantly forgot its anger at the little human that had tossed it around and flew over to Allen, landing on his shoulder and nuzzling his chin. "What were you doing in Ciel's toys?" A mouth opened from nowhere and showing off sharp teeth that reminded him scarily of Grell. Ciel growled, glaring at the duo, and turning out the door without even acknowledging them. Allen sighed, stroking Timcampy sadly. Maylene appeared behind him, cleaning supplies in her arms.

"Oh, Allen! What's wrong?" Allen turned to her.

"It's Ciel... I don't know what to think... he's...so different." He said. "He was never especially forgiving, but now... I don't even know him anymore. That's not the person I knew. He's not my friend anymore." Maylene stared at him in horror, dropping all of the supplies in her arms. Allen shook his head, smiling sadly. "Sorry. It's just... I'm only just realizing that I've been gone for over three years. Of course he would've changed..." Still, there was a miserable light in his eyes. "I'm being left behind again..." With that he got up and left the room again, following Ciel's route to the ballroom. Maylene watched him sadly until he turned the corner, slipping out of her line of sight.

"Hmph. What time will you finish?" Sohma asked impatiently. "And just what the hell are you doing?"

"AAARRRGGGHHH! Just shut the hell up!" Ciel cried in frustration, turning angrily to the Indian. "I can't concentrate!"

"No need to get mad." Sohma said sulkily, pursing his lips in a pouting manner. Ciel snarled.

"Okay. I get it." He growled, snatching Sebastian's sword out of his hand and tossing it at the Prince. "If you want my attention that much, then be my opponent," He said.

"I have only studied martial arts like Kalaripayattu and Silambam though..." He said, swishing the sword through the air.

"Meh. Have it your way." Ciel said, acting disinterested to ensure his participation.

"So if I beat you...you will play with me?" Sohma asked, a challenging glint in his eyes.

"Only if you win. If you lose then you must stay quiet and keep out of my way." Ciel replied, pointing the tip of his rapier at Sohma.

"Five bouts in three minutes." Sebastian said, watching as Allen once again snuck into the room without his master noticing. "The one with the highest score wins. So..." He said, raising his hand into the air. "Fight!" Sohma raced in low to the ground, approaching the calm, collected Ciel at a rapid pace.

"Take this! He said, raising his weapon high, before swinging down, aiming for the boys' shins. Only to stare in shock as the blade bent backwards from the strike. "It bends?" He exclaimed. Ciel smirked at the prince.

"That's not a valid point in fencing." he said smugly. "Too bad!" With that, Ciel lunged forward. Sohma squealed as he dodged the blade aimed for his ribs.

"YOU COWARD! I don't even know the rules!" Sohma cried, avoiding another blow and holding his rapier at an odd angle, trying to block Ciel's attacks.

"It's your own fault that you don't know the rules," Ciel stated, still feeling extremely smug at pulling one over the annoying Indian. Allen snickered. While this was a lot more vicious, Allen was distinctly reminded of the time he was tricked into throwing the firecrackers into the kitchen oven. He smiled. _Maybe he hasn't changed as much as I thought._

"A match is a match." Sebastian supplied helpfully from the sidelines as referee. Sohma growled at them both.

"Gah!" Again, he attacked by swinging his blade to the left and knocking across Ciel's sword. "This sword is too hard to use when swinging left to right!" Sohma said, holding onto the handle desperately as it tried to wiggle out of his hand.

"Thrusting forward is the basic idea behind fencing," Ciel said, wanting to rub his humiliation in even deeper. "Not to scythe the sword horizontally." He ducked under a wild swing made by Sohma. "Your torso is wide open!" He gloated, heading in for the kill.

"PRINCE! This is dangerous!" Agni said, putting himself in the blades path and striking Ciel's arm with two fingers.

"Geh?" There was a flash of white, and suddenly a body was in front of him, batting the arm away and punching the Indian butler into his master, sending them both crashing into the wall. Ciel dropped his sword at the sudden pain in his arm, falling to the ground and clutching it against his body.

"Ciel! Are you all right?" He knew that voice. Ciel looked up into kind gray orbs, now filled with worry. His hand was rubbing the muscles of his injured arm, soothing away the aching pain left from the butler's attack. Ciel stared up at him in contemplation. When he had found out that Allen was alive, he had felt betrayed. If he could break his promises so easily, did he ever really know Allen? It felt like he had been friends with a stranger. Now though, looking into those same pools of silver, full of concern for him and him alone. He felt at ease. _Maybe he wasn't so different than what I knew him as._ He thought. Agni groaned as he got up off the ground, before turning his eyes to the two boys in the middle of the floor.

"Ciel Sir! My deepest apologies!" He cried, bowing humbly to them. "My body simply moved on it's own when I thought that the prince was going to lose." He said anxiously. Sebastian came over, inspecting Ciel's arm and quietly asking if he was okay.

Allen stopped rubbing the counter pressure points that eased the pain of having one jabbed and let the English butler take over.

"AHAHAHAHA!" Sohma laughed. "Agni, you have protected your master very well! I praise you!" Allen growled at the flamboyant prince. "Agni is my butler, he is all mine! In other words... I won!" He cried.

"Tha-!" Ciel started to protest.

"Now you shall play with me!" Sohma said, reaching for the Earl's shoulder. Allen stepped between the two, growling at Sohma.

"Oya, Oya," Lau said. "You should take reprisal for your master," the Chinese man said, throwing one of the rapiers to the butler, who caught it smoothly.

"Well, what are you going to do Ciel's butler?" Sohma asked. Sebastian sighed, kneeling down next to his master.

"Indeed, it's because you were being mean to a novice who didn't know the rules." He said. Ciel gave him a shocked, affronted look. "However, when the master is injured like this I cannot ignore it." He said. "Moreover we are behind the planned schedule by ten minutes."

"That's your real motive isn't it?" Ciel said cynically. Sohma grinned.

"Interesting. I shall allow this duel!" He stated. "Agni! In the name of Kali the goddess, you cannot lose!"

"Sebastian, this is an Order. Silence that brat!" Ciel snapped, glaring at the Indian prince.

"Jo Anja."

"Yes, my lord." The two butlers said at the same time.

"As per your Orders. Your wish is my command my lord!" Sebastian said, eyes catching the other butler's and sparking a battle of wills. Sebastian smiled. "Now then," He said, settling into position. "Please kindly go easy on me!" He requested.

"Here I go!" Agni said, charging forward, stepping forward with one foot and thrusting the blade out at Sebastian's heart. Fast as quicksilver, Sebastian dodged the attack, stepping to the inside and coming forward with a thrust to his side. Taking a risk, Agni ducked below the attack and came in low, striking high at the face. Sebastian avoided it by a hairs breadth and came in with his own face attack. Eyes wide, Agni used his rapier to push the other's aside, then advanced, scraping his blade along Sebastian's as he charged. Both nearly caught in surprise when both sword tips nearly went into the eye. They tilted their heads back just in time. Both butlers stepped back, shaken by each others attacks, before they went again. This time they charged with the rapier points aimed straight for each other, managing to meet the two blades in the middle, causing the two swords to bend, then finally break as they continued through their attacks. The whole room was still as the sword shards flew. Sebastian recovered first, catching the rapier's tip in one gloved hand.

"Oh my. The sword's broken." He said, looking slightly rueful. Both Sohma and Ciel simply stared in shock.

"This means that it'll be impossible to compete anymore. So this match ends as a draw?" Lau asked, as if he wasn't sure.

"Ciel's butler is also pretty strong," Sohma complimented.

_It's actually a draw? _Ciel thought, still stunned at the outcome of the battle.

"Agni is the finest fighter in my city!" Sohma bragged. "This is the first time someone has ever draw-ed with him!"

_But the opponent is Sebastian!_ Ciel thought in protest. _That man is on par with a demon._

_._

_._

END

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Oh god. (Collapses) Do you know how tiring this is? I've been writing this story forever! I did most of the 15th chapter, all of the 16th, and a little bit from the 17th! If this isn't at least 15 pages long I'll be shocked! (And pissed) My computer doesn't have microsoft word yet, so I'm having to use the word pad right now. I'm hoping to have that software soon though.

So? What you think

*The way I see Ciel and Sebastians Contract is like this: When Sebastian offered to save Ciel, he gave up his free will, his ability to choose, to make his own decisions. This means that he literally _cannot_ do anything independently. Any action or decision will always link back to an Order given by Ciel. (He can still _interpet_ an Order anyway he wants, but he will never be able to disobey a direct command made by the Earl) In exchange for this obedience, Ciel is giving up his soul. His life is completely in the hands of Sebastian; everything he is, his personality, his hopes, his dreams, his despair, all of it will belong to Sebastian. Technicaly Ciel's soul isn't his own right now, it's just on loan until his goal is completed in the mortal realm. (So really Ciel's the one getting the short end of the stick here. Sebastian knows his servitude will eventually end, whereas Ciel knows that he only has a limited amount of time before he becomes Sebastian's forever)

It strikes me that _this_ is the reason Sebastian tried to eviserate our favorite Earl. (Just a thought)


End file.
